tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-166630191425776162024-03-05T09:07:39.779-07:00Questions On Dogs and CatsOur goal is to not only help dog and cat owners take better care of their pets, but also to enrich the owner/pet relationship. An educational experience for all who are interested. Enjoy your pet and help your pet benefit from you!Helpful Buckeyehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/18134633849820948837noreply@blogger.comBlogger260125tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-16663019142577616.post-9874804112478608812013-05-05T23:00:00.000-07:002013-05-07T11:37:11.839-07:00THE FINAL POTPOURRI<br />
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<span style="font-size: large;">Today is not only Cinco de Mayo but also the 5th birthday of <b><span style="color: #990000;">Questions On Dogs and Cats</span></b>. First of all, I'll say the obvious..."I can't believe that 5 years has gone by this quickly!" As Helpful Buckeye, I've met you each week during that time with as much helpful information on your dogs and cats as I could put together. Secondly, through the medium of Internet blogging, I've had the opportunity of " meeting" many of you "electronically" with your e-mail questions and comments. My readers have sent e-mails from every state and several countries other than the USA...I've been very fortunate to share this weekly time with so many avid, pet-loving "e-friends." As one of my favorite movie characters, Harvey Holroyd, says, "It's been a slice...." </span><br />
<span style="font-size: large;"></span><br />
<span style="font-size: large;">In the grand scheme of things, it therefore only seems fitting that this would be an appropriate time to bring my blogging career to an end. Yes, that's what the letters, <b>EOB</b>, stand for that you've been seeing at the beginning of the last ten issues...<b><u>E</u>nd <u>O</u>f <u>B</u>log</b>.</span><br />
<span style="font-size: large;"></span><br />
<span style="font-size: large;">Just to satisfy your curiosity, the top ten countries represented in the demographic list of readers are: USA, United Kingdom, Canada, Germany, Australia, Israel, India, Russia, France, and the Philippines. Our most popular issue was "visited" 11,800 times. <b> </b></span><br />
<span style="font-size: large;"></span><br />
<span style="font-size: large;">I've met you right here on these pages every week for the last five years, bringing you 261 issues of <b><span style="color: #990000;">Questions On Dogs and Cats</span></b>. Every Monday morning, when you picked up your first cup of coffee, we've shared a lot of thoughts about dogs and cats and had fun doing it. So, next Monday morning, think of Helpful Buckeye and the wonderful five years we had together. Thanks for being there....</span><br />
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<span style="font-size: large;">Many of you will remember that I ran this cartoon about looking for "blogging" shoes right after our initial issue. I really had no idea how long this would go on or how involved I would become in the pet affairs of so many people. It has been truly gratifying to think of all the pet owners I've had contact with. I believe I've worn out 5 pairs of blogging shoes and am putting this issue together wearing an old pair of Jimmy Buffett "Margaritaville" sandals...somewhere, there's a palm tree and chaise lounge with my name on it.</span><br />
<span style="font-size: large;"></span><br />
<span style="font-size: large;">I've titled this issue <b>The Final Potpourri</b> for a reason. Whether you prefer the words hodgepodge, mishmash, melange, salmagundi, or potpourri, this blog has been just that for our duration. I believed that I would be of most help to pet owners by covering as many pet topics as possible. And, judging from your e-mails, most of you have been very comfortable with that. Among the most rewarding e-mail messages I received were those in which someone said they would have liked to visit me when I was still practicing or that they would have liked to spend a day with me at my veterinary hospital. Thank you for all of your e-mails and comments...they have been much appreciated!</span><br />
<span style="font-size: large;"></span><br />
<span style="font-size: large;">In the words of Marcus Aurelius, Roman Emperor: <b style="mso-bidi-font-weight: normal;"><i>“When you arise in the morning, think
of what a precious privilege it is to be alive—to breathe, to think, to enjoy,
to love.”<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span></i></b></span><br />
<span style="font-size: large;"></span><br />
<span style="font-size: large;">And now, for one last swing through the wonderful world of dogs and cats, let's look at some interesting stuff:</span><br />
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<span style="font-family: "Times New Roman","serif"; font-size: 12pt; line-height: 115%;"><span style="font-size: x-large;"><b><i>Finding Truth on the Web<o:p></o:p></i></b></span></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: "Times New Roman","serif"; font-size: 12pt; line-height: 115%;"><span style="font-family: "Times New Roman","serif"; font-size: 12pt; line-height: 115%;">Dr. Joanne Intile</span></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: "Times New Roman","serif"; font-size: 12pt; line-height: 115%;"><b><i>The Internet can be a dangerous place for owners of
pets with cancer. The sheer amount of virtual information available immediately
at one’s fingertips is astonishing; bordering on overwhelming. </i></b></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: "Times New Roman","serif"; font-size: 12pt; line-height: 115%;"><b><i>As an example, a quick search of the phrase “canine
cancer” in a popular search engine returns over 3,240,000 hits. "Canine
lymphoma" yields over 1,050,000 hits, while "feline lymphoma"
reveals a mere 565,000 hits. How can an owner sift through all those pages and
discern the "good from the bad" when it comes to learning more about
their pet’s diagnosis? </i></b></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: "Times New Roman","serif"; font-size: 12pt; line-height: 115%;"><b><i>When a diagnosis of cancer is made, owners are often
placed in the difficult position of having to make decisions regarding
diagnostic tests and treatments for their pet, frequently with limited
information. This can lead to a feeling of helplessness and depression, or even
defensiveness at times. I think it’s natural to turn to the Internet as a
source of information, self-comfort, and self-education. </i></b></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: "Times New Roman","serif"; font-size: 12pt; line-height: 115%;"><b><i>What I’m not so sure of is when exactly did entering
phrases or words into a search engine begin qualifying as "research?"
Having endured many years of rigorous academic training, when I think of
actively researching a topic, it conjures up images of pouring over textbooks
and critically reviewing clinical studies. To me, it means learning objective
facts and studying information for accuracy of content, not clicking on random
websites and reading unsubstantiated opinions backed typically by emotion
rather than truth. </i></b></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: "Times New Roman","serif"; font-size: 12pt; line-height: 115%;"><b><i>It is not unusual for owners to come to their first
appointment armed with notes, printouts, suggestions, and/or questions they
have garnered from searching their pets’ diagnoses on the Internet. My visceral
reaction is typically one of tempered insult. I’m the one who endured many
years of education and training and have several years of experience working as
a clinical medical oncologist, yet I often joke in some cases that the
(in)famous "Dr. Google," who never went to vet school, once again has
managed to usurp my recommendations. It’s challenging for me to remember that
the intentions behind my clients’ questions or suggestions are typically pure.
Owners simply lack the medical knowledge to review the Internet information
accurately, but they really only want the best care and best treatment options
for their pets. </i></b></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: "Times New Roman","serif"; font-size: 12pt; line-height: 115%;"><b><i>I’ve discussed before how I understand that a
diagnosis of cancer can be emotionally provoking for owners, and a common
frustration many will express is their complete lack of control over the
situation. Owners cannot alter progression of the disease once it occurs, they
are simply told, "Here are the facts and here are the
recommendations." </i></b></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: "Times New Roman","serif"; font-size: 12pt; line-height: 115%;"><b><i>An example would be an owner focusing on nutrition
and diet after a diagnosis is obtained. What food their pet ingests is one of
the few things pet owners can control in an otherwise uncontrollable situation.
It is also one of the most Internet-searched topics owners will discuss with me
during an appointment. Unfortunately, the lack of evidence-based information
supporting nutrition as playing a role in the outcome for animals with cancer
makes it difficult to make solid recommendations. </i></b></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: "Times New Roman","serif"; font-size: 12pt; line-height: 115%;"><b><i>This isn’t to say I can't relate to the need to try
to learn as much as possible about a diagnosis, and I’m aware of how daunting
terminology related to science and health and medicine can be for individuals
not trained specifically within those subjects. The vocabulary is unfamiliar,
anxiety provoking, and even uncomfortable for some. Equally as challenging on my
end is determining how to present complicated diagnoses and treatment options
in terms the average non-medically inclined individual can understand. Despite
my best efforts, even with the most medically educated clientele, I know the
emotional aspects surrounding a diagnosis can create barriers to truly
understanding the technicalities.</i></b></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: "Times New Roman","serif"; font-size: 12pt; line-height: 115%;"><b><i>Following initial consults, I provide owners with an
in-depth written summary of all the points discussed during the appointment. I
believe this is something unique to the veterinary profession. Think about the
last time your human MD counterpart provided you with a written summary of any
aspect of your visit. Even with the information literally in hand, it’s not
uncommon for owners to specifically ask for websites they could use to better
understand all the topics I’ve discussed. I’m not sure I will ever understand
the need to turn to non-validated sources of information when it comes to
learning about health and disease, but I do understand my obligation to being
able to point people in the right direction. </i></b></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: "Times New Roman","serif"; font-size: 12pt; line-height: 115%;"><b><i>Therefore, I generally recommend websites directly
affiliated with veterinary schools, professional veterinary organizations, and
websites run by respected and prominent veterinarians and advocate such pages
as resources for owners seeking additional information. I also have no problem
discussing the pros of seeing another medical oncologist for a second opinion
when appropriate. </i></b></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: "Times New Roman","serif"; font-size: 12pt; line-height: 115%;"><b><i>I think one of the main reasons I enjoy being able
to write weekly articles for petMD is because I feel it is my small way of
contributing factual information about veterinary oncology on the Internet.
Though I’m still frequently challenged by owners about something they read on a
website or through an online forum, I try to maintain patience when these
topics come up. </i></b></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: "Times New Roman","serif"; font-size: 12pt; line-height: 115%;"><b><i>I take comfort in knowing there are good resources
for pet owners, and that I play an active role in keeping truthful information
available to a large-scale audience, one week at a time.<o:p></o:p></i></b></span></div>
Adapted from: <span style="font-family: "Times New Roman","serif"; font-size: 12pt; line-height: 115%; mso-ansi-language: EN-US; mso-bidi-language: AR-SA; mso-fareast-font-family: Calibri; mso-fareast-language: EN-US; mso-fareast-theme-font: minor-latin;"><a href="http://www.petmd.com/blogs/thedailyvet/jintile/2013/feb/finding-information-on-cancer-online"><span style="color: blue;">http://www.petmd.com/blogs/thedailyvet/jintile/2013/feb/finding-information-on-cancer-online</span></a></span><br />
<span style="font-family: "Times New Roman","serif"; font-size: 12pt; line-height: 115%; mso-ansi-language: EN-US; mso-bidi-language: AR-SA; mso-fareast-font-family: Calibri; mso-fareast-language: EN-US; mso-fareast-theme-font: minor-latin;"></span><br />
<span style="font-family: "Times New Roman","serif"; line-height: 115%; mso-ansi-language: EN-US; mso-bidi-language: AR-SA; mso-fareast-font-family: Calibri; mso-fareast-language: EN-US; mso-fareast-theme-font: minor-latin;"><span style="font-size: large;">There is no doubt that the Internet has provided a lot of good and interesting information for those seeking it. But, going beyond that, we've all been told that you can't believe everything you read online...and for good reason. Anybody can post whatever they wish online...it is the reader's duty to sift out what is good from what isn't.</span></span><br />
<span style="font-family: "Times New Roman","serif"; font-size: 12pt; line-height: 115%; mso-ansi-language: EN-US; mso-bidi-language: AR-SA; mso-fareast-font-family: Calibri; mso-fareast-language: EN-US; mso-fareast-theme-font: minor-latin;"></span><br />
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</span><br />
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<span style="font-family: "Times New Roman","serif"; font-size: 12pt; line-height: 115%;"><b><i><span style="font-size: x-large;">The Science of Dogs, A Helpful Chart<o:p></o:p></span></i></b></span></div>
<span style="font-family: "Times New Roman","serif"; font-size: 12pt; line-height: 115%;"><b><i>If you've ever wondered what's going on inside a
dog's head, look no further than this chart that helps explain what dogs fear,
what they understand and why they have to smell absolutely everything that ever
existed.</i></b></span><br />
<span style="font-family: "Times New Roman","serif"; font-size: 12pt; line-height: 115%;"></span><br />
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<span style="font-family: "Times New Roman","serif"; font-size: 12pt; line-height: 115%;"><o:p></o:p></span><br />
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<span style="font-family: "Times New Roman","serif"; font-size: 12pt; line-height: 115%;">Adapted from: <a href="http://www.mandatory.com/2012/10/24/the-science-of-dogs-a-helpful-chart/?icid=maing-grid10%7Chtmlws-main-bb%7Cdl17%7Csec3_lnk2%26pLid%3D227217"><span style="color: blue;">http://www.mandatory.com/2012/10/24/the-science-of-dogs-a-helpful-chart/?icid=maing-grid10%7Chtmlws-main-bb%7Cdl17%7Csec3_lnk2%26pLid%3D227217</span></a><o:p></o:p></span></div>
<span style="font-size: large;">If you memorize these charts, you'll go a long way toward </span><br />
<span style="font-size: large;">understanding some of your dog's actions!!!</span><br />
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<span style="font-family: "Times New Roman","serif"; font-size: 12pt; line-height: 115%;"><span style="font-size: x-large;"><b><i>Scientists prove you really can tell what your dog</i></b></span></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: "Times New Roman","serif"; font-size: 12pt; line-height: 115%;"><span style="font-size: x-large;"><b><i> is
feeling by looking at its face<o:p></o:p></i></b></span></span></div>
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<b><i><span style="font-family: "Times New Roman","serif"; font-size: 12pt; line-height: 115%;">Any dog owner will claim they can tell exactly what
their pet is thinking just by looking at it. Now scientists have discovered
that they may well be right. </span><span style="font-family: "Times New Roman","serif"; font-size: 12pt; line-height: 115%;">A study has shown that people are able to precisely
identify a range of emotions in dogs from changes in their facial expressions.</span></i></b></div>
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<span style="font-family: "Times New Roman","serif"; font-size: 12pt; line-height: 115%;"><b><i>The research showed that volunteers could correctly
spot when a dog was happy, sad, angry, surprised or scared, when shown only a
picture of the animal’s face, suggesting that humans are naturally attuned to
detecting how animals are feeling. </i></b></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: "Times New Roman","serif"; font-size: 12pt; line-height: 115%;"><b><i>Dr Tina Bloom, a psychologist who led the research,
said: “There is no doubt that humans have the ability to recognise emotional
states in other humans and accurately read other humans’ facial expressions. We
have shown that humans are also able to accurately – if not perfectly –
identify at least one dog’s facial expressions. </i></b></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: "Times New Roman","serif"; font-size: 12pt; line-height: 115%;"><b><i>“Although humans often think of themselves as
disconnected or even isolated from nature, our study suggests that there are
patterns that connect, and one of these is in the form of emotional
communication.” </i></b></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: "Times New Roman","serif"; font-size: 12pt; line-height: 115%;"><b><i>The study, published in the journal Behavioural
Processes, used photographs of a police dog named Mal, a five-year-old Belgian
shepherd dog, as it experienced different emotions. To trigger a happy
reaction, researchers praised Mal. The result was the dog looking straight at
the camera with ears up and tongue out. </i></b></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: "Times New Roman","serif"; font-size: 12pt; line-height: 115%;"><b><i>They then reprimanded the dog to produce a “sad”
reaction, causing the animal to pull a mournful expression with eyes cast down.</i></b></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: "Times New Roman","serif"; font-size: 12pt; line-height: 115%;"><b><i>Surprise, generated using a jack-in-the box, caused
the dog to wrinkle the top of its head into something akin to a frown. Medicine
that Mal did not like was produced to stimulate disgust – flattened ears – and
nail trimmers, which Mal also disliked, were brandished to create fear, causing
the ears to prick up and the whites of the eyes to show. </i></b></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: "Times New Roman","serif"; font-size: 12pt; line-height: 115%;"><b><i>For anger, a researcher pretended to be a criminal.
Mal’s teeth were bared in the beginnings of a snarl. </i></b></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: "Times New Roman","serif"; font-size: 12pt; line-height: 115%;"><b><i>The resulting photographs were shown to 50
volunteers, who were split into two groups according to their experience of
dogs. </i></b></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: "Times New Roman","serif"; font-size: 12pt; line-height: 115%;"><b><i>By far the easiest emotion they recognised was
happiness, with 88 per cent of the volunteers correctly identifying it. Anger
was identified by 70 per cent of participants. </i></b></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin: 0in 0in 10pt;">
<span style="font-family: "Times New Roman","serif"; font-size: 12pt; line-height: 115%;"><b><i>About 45 per cent of volunteers spotted when Mal was
frightened, while 37 per cent could identify the relatively subtle emotion of
sadness. </i></b></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: "Times New Roman","serif"; font-size: 12pt; line-height: 115%;"><b><i>The canine expressions that were hardest for humans
to identify were surprise and disgust, with only 20 per cent of the volunteers
recognising surprise and just 13 per cent recognising disgust. </i></b></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: "Times New Roman","serif"; font-size: 12pt; line-height: 115%;"><b><i>The study by Dr Bloom and Prof Harris Friedman, both
from Walden University, in Minneapolis, found that people with minimal
experience of dogs were better at identifying canine disgust and anger, perhaps
because dog owners convinced themselves that their dog was not aggressive and
so the associated facial expression was just playing. </i></b></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: "Times New Roman","serif"; font-size: 12pt; line-height: 115%;"><b><i>The researchers believe the ability of inexperienced
volunteers to sometimes be better judges of emotions may be because reading
dogs’ faces comes naturally, rather than being a learned skill. </i></b></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: "Times New Roman","serif"; font-size: 12pt; line-height: 115%;"></span><span style="font-family: "Times New Roman","serif"; font-size: 12pt; line-height: 115%;"><b><i>Dr Bloom said she hoped further research might
determine whether this apparent natural empathy with canines was something we
shared with all mammals, or could be explained by humans and dogs evolving
side-by-side for the past 100,000 years. </i></b></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: "Times New Roman","serif"; font-size: 12pt; line-height: 115%;"><b><i>As a dog lover — who was “very confident” in her
ability to read the faces of her two Dobermans and two Rhodesian ridgebacks —
she admitted such unproven theories were emotionally appealing. </i></b></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin: 0in 0in 10pt;">
<span style="font-family: "Times New Roman","serif"; font-size: 12pt; line-height: 115%;"><b><i>She added: “If I adopted a cat, or a snake or a
turtle, I don’t think it would be as emotionally attached to me and watching my
face as much as a dog would. There is something different and special about a
dog — I’m not sure what it is, but it’s there.” </i></b></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: "Times New Roman","serif"; font-size: 12pt; line-height: 115%;"><b><i>Beverley Cuddy, the editor of Dogs Today, said dog
lovers would feel vindicated by the research. “I am not at all surprised that
science has finally accepted what we knew all along — dog and owner communicate
perfectly well without words.”<o:p></o:p></i></b></span></div>
Adapted from: <span style="font-family: "Times New Roman","serif"; font-size: 12pt; line-height: 115%; mso-ansi-language: EN-US; mso-bidi-language: AR-SA; mso-fareast-font-family: Calibri; mso-fareast-language: EN-US; mso-fareast-theme-font: minor-latin;"><a href="http://www.telegraph.co.uk/lifestyle/pets/9934977/Scientists-prove-you-really-can-tell-what-your-dog-is-feeling-by-looking-at-its-face.html"><span style="color: blue;">http://www.telegraph.co.uk/lifestyle/pets/9934977/Scientists-prove-you-really-can-tell-what-your-dog-is-feeling-by-looking-at-its-face.html</span></a></span><br />
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<span style="font-family: "Times New Roman","serif"; font-size: 12pt; line-height: 115%;"><span style="font-size: x-large;"><b><i>Is Your Cat a Lion at Heart?<o:p></o:p></i></b></span></span></div>
<span style="font-family: "Times New Roman","serif"; font-size: 12pt; line-height: 115%;"><b><i>Have you ever wondered why your pet cat rubs up
against your legs, kneads your thighs with its forepaws or sleeps on top of a
wardrobe? These, and many other behaviours, can be attributed to the tiger
lurking within your pet tigger.<o:p></o:p></i></b></span><br />
<b><i>
</i></b><br />
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<span style="font-family: "Times New Roman","serif"; font-size: 12pt; line-height: 115%;"><b><i>A recent report conducted by feline experts Whiskas
has established close links between domestic cat behaviour and behaviours
exhibited by their wild big cat cousins. </i></b></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin: 0in 0in 10pt;">
<span style="font-family: "Times New Roman","serif"; font-size: 12pt; line-height: 115%;"><b><i>The report also revealed some startling statistics
about the way cat owners relate to their pets.</i></b></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: "Times New Roman","serif"; font-size: 12pt; line-height: 115%;"><b><i>Over a thousand owners were involved in a survey
that investigated regularly observed behaviours around the home and garden and
also asked how owners responded to their pets. Some of the results were
startling! Over 95% of cat owners considered their pet as part of the family.
And a surprising one in 10 admitted to preferring having a cuddle with their
cat than with their partner!</i></b></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: "Times New Roman","serif"; font-size: 12pt; line-height: 115%;"><b><i>Many cat owners maintain that stroking their pet
reduces feelings of stress and this has been born out by empirical study that
correlates a reduction in blood pressure among people who regularly look after
and show affection to their pets.</i></b></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: "Times New Roman","serif"; font-size: 12pt; line-height: 115%;"><b><i>One of the most tangible illustrations of owners
recognising the similarities between domestic cats and their wild counterparts
is when it comes to naming them, with Tigger and Tiger being among the
favourites!</i></b></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: "Times New Roman","serif"; font-size: 12pt; line-height: 115%;"><b><i>As someone who has spent a great deal of the past 30
years watching and filming the big cats of the world, chiefly in Kenya and
India, I was asked to analyze some of the most regularly witnessed domestic cat
behaviour to see if there were indeed any patterns which echoed that of their
big cat cousins.</i></b></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: "Times New Roman","serif"; font-size: 12pt; line-height: 115%;"><b><i>A common observation was that of cats rubbing
against their owners' legs with their temples, cheeks and flanks, especially as
meals were being prepared. The cat is in fact scent marking, using special
glands in their face and sides, and in so doing they are reinforcing a 'family'
scent. Very similar behaviour can be seen in lions, particularly when
subordinate females or youngsters greet more dominant animals in the pride. As
the subordinate lion approaches it lowers its head slightly, often raises its
tail and then pushes its head into and along that of the more dominant
colleague. The importance of establishing a clan or family scent for these
sociable cats is key to the avoidance and diffusion of aggression. And woe betide
any intruder that does not bear the familiar smell! When your domestic cat
scent marks you it is showing its confidence and comfort in being close to you
and at the same time recognising your dominance in the relationship. In short,
it's a cat compliment.</i></b></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: "Times New Roman","serif"; font-size: 12pt; line-height: 115%;"><b><i>Many owners observed their pet cat choosing to rest
on a high point like the top of a cupboard, and some said that their cat
preferred to eat from a bowl that was raised above ground level. This again is
echoed by one of their big cat cousins, the African leopard, which in parts of
its range regularly climbs trees to rest and may haul meals up into the
branches too. This is a defence strategy, avoiding contact and conflict with
other predators, especially hyenas and lions. When your pet cat seeks a high point
it is responding to an ancestral urge to get out of the way of trouble that may
lurk on the ground.</i></b></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: "Times New Roman","serif"; font-size: 12pt; line-height: 115%;"><b><i>Padding, or kneading with the forepaws is another
behaviour often witnessed in pet cats, especially when they are lying
comfortably on their owners' laps. This action stems from infantile behaviour,
when nursing kittens rhythmically knead their mothers' mammary glands to
stimulate milk flow. Over thousands of years of domestication we have
encouraged cats to maintain much of their kitten-like relationship, with
ourselves playing the role of surrogate parents, and it is this that leads to
the perpetuation of this paddingbehaviour. The same can be said of play
behaviour, with many pet cats remaining very playful with their owners well
into adulthood, a pattern of behaviour that generally wanes soon after
adolescence in wild cat populations.</i></b></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: "Times New Roman","serif"; font-size: 12pt; line-height: 115%;"><b><i>So much of the charm of living with a cat can be
attributed to the close connection many have with the wild side of their
character, whilst continuing to surprise and amuse us with their sense of fun,
trust and independent character.<o:p></o:p></i></b></span></div>
Adapted from: <span style="font-family: "Times New Roman","serif"; font-size: 12pt; line-height: 115%; mso-ansi-language: EN-US; mso-bidi-language: AR-SA; mso-fareast-font-family: Calibri; mso-fareast-language: EN-US; mso-fareast-theme-font: minor-latin;"><a href="http://www.huffingtonpost.co.uk/simon-king/cats-lions-at-heart_b_2883439.html"><span style="color: blue;">http://www.huffingtonpost.co.uk/simon-king/cats-lions-at-heart_b_2883439.html</span></a></span><br />
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<span style="font-family: "Times New Roman","serif"; font-size: 12pt; line-height: 115%;"><span style="font-size: x-large;"><b><i>Designer Mix Breeds: Most Common Breed </i></b></span></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: "Times New Roman","serif"; font-size: 12pt; line-height: 115%;"><span style="font-size: x-large;"><b><i>Mixes<o:p></o:p></i></b></span></span></div>
<br />
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<span style="font-family: "Times New Roman","serif"; font-size: 12pt; line-height: 115%;"><b><i>Breed mixes are becoming more and more popular and
even getting designer names such as "Blends" as opposed to
"Mixed Breeds". Most of the blends are smaller breed dogs and most
are mixed with a poodle. Most of these are relatively low shedding pets and may
be good choices for families with allergies. But which ones are the most
popular? It is very difficult to find the numbers since they are not all part
of a national registry but here is our list of the most common ones...</i></b></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: "Times New Roman","serif"; font-size: 12pt; line-height: 115%;"><b><i><u>Cockapoo (Cocker Spaniel-Poodle mix).</u> The cockapoo
originated in the United States in the 1960's. The Cockapoo is a cross between
an American Cocker Spaniel and a Poodle. Cockapoos are active, can be good
watchdogs and good with kids. Depending on the parents, the features and size
can resemble each aspects of each breed. Their size can vary with the mix but
generally range from 6 to 20 pounds and their life expectancy is 13 to 15
years. For more information, visit www.cockapoos.com for the Cockapoo Club of
America. </i></b></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: "Times New Roman","serif"; font-size: 12pt; line-height: 115%;"><b><i><u>Schnoodle (Schnauzer-Poodle mix).</u> Schnoodles are
mixes between a Schnauzer and a Poodle. They are generally intelligent dogs,
active, playful and get on well with children. They are relatively low
shedders. There are three sizes of poodle (toy, miniature and standard) and
three sizes of schnauzer (miniature, standard and giant) and their traits are
directly reflected by the combination that is bred. Their size can vary from 6
pounds and up and their life expectancy is 13 to 15 years. </i></b></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: "Times New Roman","serif"; font-size: 12pt; line-height: 115%;"><b><i><u>Yorkipoos (Yorkshire terrier-Poodle mix).</u> Yorkipoos
are a cross between Yorkshire Terriers and Poodles. They are generally
affectionate, loyal and active little dogs. Yorkipoos are relatively low
shedders. Depending on the parents, their weight can vary from 4.5 to 16 pounds
and their life expectancy is 13 to 16 years. </i></b></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: "Times New Roman","serif"; font-size: 12pt; line-height: 115%;"><b><i><u>Pomapoo (Pomeranian-Poodle mix).</u> Pom-a-poos are a
mix between a Pomeranian and a Poodle. They are generally intelligent dogs get
on well with children. They are relatively low shedders. There size varies with
the size of the parents but can vary from 4 to 15 pounds and their life
expectancy is 13 to 16 years. </i></b></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: "Times New Roman","serif"; font-size: 12pt; line-height: 115%;"><b><i><u>Labradoodle (Labrador retriever-Standard poodle
mix).</u> Labradoodles are a cross between a Labrador retriever and a standard
poodle mix. They are generally sociable, intelligent and readily trainable. The
hair coats can be either fleece-like or curly and comes in a variety of colors
including: Black, Silver, Cream, Apricot Cream, Chalk, Gold, Red, Apricot,
Chocolate, and Café. Labradoodles weight will vary from 40 to 80 pounds and
their life expectancy is about 11 to 13 years. </i></b></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: "Times New Roman","serif"; font-size: 12pt; line-height: 115%;"><b><i><u>Peekapoos (Pekinese-Poodle mix).</u> Peek-a-poos (also
referred to as Peke-a-poos, Peekapoos, and Pekepoos) are crosses between a
Pekingese and a Poodle. Peekapoos are generally friendly dogs that are playful
and can be good with children. This cross generally weighs between 8 to 16
pounds, depending on the size of the parents. Their life expectancy is approximately
13 to 15 years.</i></b></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: "Times New Roman","serif"; font-size: 12pt; line-height: 115%;"><b><i><u>Maltapoo (Maltese-Poodle mix).</u> Malt-a-poo, also
known as the Malti-poo, is a cross between a Maltese and a poodle. They are
generally sociable and intelligent. They are relatively low shedders.
Malt-a-poos will weigh between 4 and 15 pounds and their life expectancy is
about 13 to 15 years. </i></b></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: "Times New Roman","serif"; font-size: 12pt; line-height: 115%;"><b><i><u>Chipoo (Chihuahua-Pomeranian mix).</u> A Chi-poo is a
mix between a Chihuahua and a Pomeranian. Their hair coat can be straight or
wavy. They are relatively low shedders. Chi-poos are generally smart,
personable and can be good with kids. Their weight will vary from 2 to 15
pounds and their life expectancy is about 13 to 17 years. </i></b></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: "Times New Roman","serif"; font-size: 12pt; line-height: 115%;"><b><i><u>Shihpoo (Shih-Tzu-Poodle).</u> A Shih-poo is a cross
between a Shih-tzu and a poodle. They are generally gentle, affectionate and
loyal. Their hair coats can be curly or straight and they are relatively low
shedders. They generally weigh between 6 to 19 pounds and their life expectancy
is about 13 to 17 years. </i></b></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: "Times New Roman","serif"; font-size: 12pt; line-height: 115%;"><b><i><u>Goldendoodles (Golden retriever-Poodle mix).</u>
Goldendoodles are a cross between a Golden Retrievers and a Standard Poodle.
Their weight will range from 45 to 80 pounds. They are generally low shedding
pets. They are generally active, intelligent, highly trainable, loyal and good
with kids. Their life expectancy is about 11 to 13 years.</i></b></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin: 0in 0in 10pt;">
<span style="font-family: "Times New Roman","serif"; font-size: 12pt; line-height: 115%;">Adapted from: <a href="http://www.petplace.com/dogs/most-common-breed-mixes/page1.aspx?utm_source=dogcrazynews&utm_medium=email&utm_campaign=DogTraffic&utm_content=DC-20130401-3-[T]&email=kfwash@aol.com"><span style="color: blue;">http://www.petplace.com/dogs/most-common-breed-mixes/page1.aspx?utm_source=dogcrazynews&utm_medium=email&utm_campaign=DogTraffic&utm_content=DC-20130401-3-[T]&email=kfwash@aol.com</span></a></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: "Times New Roman","serif"; line-height: 115%;"><span style="font-size: large;">For those of you who might soon be getting a new puppy...and those who might often wonder why their dog doesn't answer when they call its name, here is some great advice!</span></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: "Times New Roman","serif"; font-size: 12pt; line-height: 115%;"><o:p>
</o:p></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: "Times New Roman","serif"; font-size: 12pt; line-height: 115%;"><span style="font-size: x-large;"><b><i>You Named Me Brutus? Really?<o:p></o:p></i></b></span></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: "Times New Roman","serif"; font-size: 12pt; line-height: 115%;"><b><i>What’s in a (Dog) Name?: Alexandra Horowitz, a dog
cognition expert, interviews dog owners about the names of their pets.</i></b> <o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin: 0in 0in 10pt;">
<span style="font-family: "Times New Roman","serif"; font-size: 12pt; line-height: 115%;"><b><i>By JAN HOFFMAN</i></b></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: "Times New Roman","serif"; font-size: 12pt; line-height: 115%;"><b><i>For our family, choosing a name was neither simple
nor swift. After all, it had taken my daughters a decade of whining and
deliberating over breeds that wouldn’t aggravate the allergy-stricken (me),
just to get to the point of agreeing to get a Havanese. </i></b></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: "Times New Roman","serif"; font-size: 12pt; line-height: 115%;"><b><i>And because I am the family research queen, I found
a way to make the process even more complicated. A little research elicited a
lot of information. </i></b></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: "Times New Roman","serif"; font-size: 12pt; line-height: 115%;"><b><i>I found lists of the most common dog names. A Web
site with thousands of names, sorted into categories like “cool,” “cute” and
“unusual.” And countless dos and don’ts from self-anointed dog-naming experts. </i></b></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin: 0in 0in 10pt;">
<span style="font-family: "Times New Roman","serif"; font-size: 12pt; line-height: 115%;"><b><i>It was an art. A science. Serendipity. Intuition. </i></b></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin: 0in 0in 10pt;">
<span style="font-family: "Times New Roman","serif"; font-size: 12pt; line-height: 115%;"><b><i>There were phonetics rules. And rules that ignored
phonetics, instead placing a premium on achieving family harmony. And, of
course, there was a simmering debate: Whose needs should the name serve, yours
or the dog’s? </i></b></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin: 0in 0in 10pt;">
<span style="font-family: "Times New Roman","serif"; font-size: 12pt; line-height: 115%;"><b><i>One of the most consistent pieces of advice I found
was to stick to names of one or two syllables, which quickly catch a puppy’s
attention. </i></b></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin: 0in 0in 10pt;">
<span style="font-family: "Times New Roman","serif"; font-size: 12pt; line-height: 115%;"><b><i>People seem to drift in that direction anyway. At a
recent puppy training class, I met Gracie, Nigel, Sasha and a schnauzer mix
whose name was the perfect marriage of 21st-century preoccupations and
ür-dogginess: Browser. </i></b></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: "Times New Roman","serif"; font-size: 12pt; line-height: 115%;"><b><i>JoAnn Vela, the owner of Canine Cuties Dog Grooming,
in Chicago Ridge, Ill., has four dogs: Moose, Bleu, Tyson and Coach. Moose, she
explained, because their English mastiff was such a galumphing klutz. Bleu,
because her daughter thought the dog looked so sad. Tyson, because her husband wanted
the German shepherd to have a tough name. And Coach, because when her daughter
gazed longingly at the Shetland sheepdog in a pet shop window, the dog gazed
back longingly at her Coach purse. </i></b></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: "Times New Roman","serif"; font-size: 12pt; line-height: 115%;"><b><i>The four-syllable Gentleman Jack, of Cedar Grove,
N.J., defies this rule. When Lauren Meyer, a stay-at-home mother who owns a
Labradoodle, first saw a picture of him, she wanted to call him Jack, because
she thought he looked like a frisky rogue. But her son insisted on a name with
a little more class. At the time, he was a student at the University of
Virginia, whose guiding spirit is the gentleman-scholar Thomas Jefferson. Also,
the dog is whiskey-colored, and Gentleman Jack, it should be noted, is a brand
of Jack Daniel’s whiskey. </i></b></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin: 0in 0in 10pt;">
<span style="font-family: "Times New Roman","serif"; font-size: 12pt; line-height: 115%;"><b><i>On occasion, the name expands to six syllables.
“When he’s bad,” Mrs. Meyer said, “we call him Gentleman Jack Meyer.” </i></b></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin: 0in 0in 10pt;">
<span style="font-family: "Times New Roman","serif"; font-size: 12pt; line-height: 115%;"><b><i>Another piece of advice: To help the puppy
distinguish its name from ambient noise, choose something with a sibilant
consonant or blend (an “s,” “sh” or “zh”) or, better still, a crisp, commanding
consonant (a “k” or hard “c”). </i></b></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin: 0in 0in 10pt;">
<span style="font-family: "Times New Roman","serif"; font-size: 12pt; line-height: 115%;"><b><i>Laura Waddell, a dog trainer and animal behaviorist
in New Jersey, works with a bred-in-captivity wolf named Tacoma, and she named
her own golden retriever-spitz mix Loki. “They can distinguish frequency ranges
that we cannot, particularly dogs with pricked ears, which work almost like
parabolic microphones,” she said. “The hard consonant is a relatively sharp
sound that the dog can respond to quickly. I think sibilant sounds are more
muddled for them.” </i></b></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin: 0in 0in 10pt;">
<span style="font-family: "Times New Roman","serif"; font-size: 12pt; line-height: 115%;"><b><i>Mrs. Vela recalled grooming a beagle named Tank.
Some customers apparently don’t look under the hood, so to speak. After the
session, she informed the dog’s owners that Tank was a Tinker (as in
Tinkerbelle). Acceptance was hard. </i></b></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin: 0in 0in 10pt;">
<span style="font-family: "Times New Roman","serif"; font-size: 12pt; line-height: 115%;"><b><i>“The husband and wife still each call the dog by a
different name,” Mrs. Vela said. </i></b></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin: 0in 0in 10pt;">
<span style="font-family: "Times New Roman","serif"; font-size: 12pt; line-height: 115%;"><b><i>But at least they abide by the rule. </i></b></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin: 0in 0in 10pt;">
<span style="font-family: "Times New Roman","serif"; font-size: 12pt; line-height: 115%;"><b><i>SOME EXPERTS ALSO ADVISE picking a name that ends in
a long vowel or a short “a.” </i></b></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin: 0in 0in 10pt;">
<span style="font-family: "Times New Roman","serif"; font-size: 12pt; line-height: 115%;"><b><i>“Simba?” I asked my daughters. “Lobo? I know, let’s
call the puppy Orca!” </i></b></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin: 0in 0in 10pt;">
<span style="font-family: "Times New Roman","serif"; font-size: 12pt; line-height: 115%;"><b><i>“Jovi,” they snickered, after Jon Bon.</i></b></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin: 0in 0in 10pt;">
<span style="font-family: "Times New Roman","serif"; font-size: 12pt; line-height: 115%;"><b><i>Martin Deeley, a Florida trainer and executive
director of the International Association of Canine Professionals, said he
prefers names that end in a long “e,” like Benny or Dolly. “I think it gives a nickname
a loving touch,” he said. “Sweet becomes Sweetie.”</i></b></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin: 0in 0in 10pt;">
<span style="font-family: "Times New Roman","serif"; font-size: 12pt; line-height: 115%;"><b><i>He also recommended making sure the name could not
be confused with a command. That eliminated names like Kit, which sounds too
much like “sit,” and Beau, which sounds like “no” (the Obamas obviously ignored
this rule in naming their dog Bo).</i></b></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin: 0in 0in 10pt;">
<span style="font-family: "Times New Roman","serif"; font-size: 12pt; line-height: 115%;"><b><i>Another caution: Try to avoid the most popular
names. Consider the canine traffic jam that could ensue at the dog park when a
pack of owners starts calling their Maxes and Busters. </i></b></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: "Times New Roman","serif"; font-size: 12pt; line-height: 115%;"><b><i>But don’t go in for anything trendy or overly witty.
Pick something enduring, that you and the dog can live with, one hopes, for a
decade or more. Mr. Deeley, who has been working with dogs and their owners for
nearly 40 years, laments the fact that this generation of parents tends to
allow the children to name the dog. Thus the perpetuation of names inspired by
Saturday-morning cartoon characters. Or a certain yellow Labrador of his
acquaintance, whose family allowed their 6-year-old to saddle with the moniker
Freckles. </i></b></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: "Times New Roman","serif"; font-size: 12pt; line-height: 115%;"><b><i>As Alexandra Horowitz, who teaches animal behavior
and psychology at Barnard College, said: “There’s a dog in my neighborhood
named Harbinger. It’s clever, but they weren’t planning practically.” </i></b></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: "Times New Roman","serif"; font-size: 12pt; line-height: 115%;"><b><i>Still, Dr. Horowitz, who wrote “On Looking: Eleven
Walks with Expert Eyes,” a new book that examines city streets from the
perspective of both dog and human, is a rule-breaker herself. </i></b></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: "Times New Roman","serif"; font-size: 12pt; line-height: 115%;"><b><i>“I like names that I’m willing to say repeatedly,”
she said, “because you find yourself often conversing with your dog.” Her dogs
have had names like Pumpernickel, Finnegan and Upton. </i></b></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: "Times New Roman","serif"; font-size: 12pt; line-height: 115%;"><b><i>AND FINALLY, the admonition that will set off the
most howls: Avoid human names. </i></b></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: "Times New Roman","serif"; font-size: 12pt; line-height: 115%;"><b><i>The Monks of New Skete, a monastic community in
upstate New York, breed German shepherds and are renowned for their dog
training books. In a 2012 newsletter, Brother Christopher Savage explained
their objection to human names. “Sometimes, without realizing it, owners who
give their dogs human names are more likely to fall into the trap of
anthropomorphizing their pets,” he wrote. “In our experience, that is a formula
that invites big problems.” </i></b></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: "Times New Roman","serif"; font-size: 12pt; line-height: 115%;"><b><i>“What about Sheldon?” asked my 14-year-old, ignoring
the monks’ advice. “He’s my favorite character on ‘The Big Bang Theory.’ ” </i></b></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: "Times New Roman","serif"; font-size: 12pt; line-height: 115%;"><b><i>“No!” my husband and I barked. </i></b></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: "Times New Roman","serif"; font-size: 12pt; line-height: 115%;"><b><i>This may be the most difficult rule to follow. As
Mrs. Vela said: “Especially older people and people without kids. They are
upfront: ‘These are my children.’ I groom a lot of Bobbies, Stellas and Joeys.”</i></b></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: "Times New Roman","serif"; font-size: 12pt; line-height: 115%;"><b><i>Dr. Horowitz takes issue with the monks’ rule as
well. “Human names are fine,” she said. “I don’t think a dog cares if it’s
named for us. It’s more that we’re finding a way to give the dog an identity,
to draw a place for it in our lives.” </i></b></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: "Times New Roman","serif"; font-size: 12pt; line-height: 115%;"><b><i>Mr. Deeley agreed: “I think the name is overplayed
in training. I want dogs to concentrate on the command instead.” </i></b></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: "Times New Roman","serif"; font-size: 12pt; line-height: 115%;"><b><i>“What does a name mean to a dog?” he continued. “
‘Hey, look at me?’ ‘Follow me?’ ‘I love you?’ ‘You’re in trouble?’ Or ‘I’m
lonely and I missed you?’ Dogs read body language and how you smell to them.
It’s about your voice and your energy, not whatever you call him. You can make
contact with a deaf animal.” </i></b></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: "Times New Roman","serif"; font-size: 12pt; line-height: 115%;"><b><i>Mary Cody can attest to that. Ms. Cody, the founder
of Aunt Mary’s Doghouse, a volunteer rescue and adoption program in Hope, N.J.,
named her deaf Australian shepherd Dumia, the Hebrew word for silent, and the
dog follows her everywhere. </i></b></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: "Times New Roman","serif"; font-size: 12pt; line-height: 115%;"><b><i>She has named hundreds of dogs, and said she tries
to make sure each name speaks to the particular dog. “I’ll try a name and
sometimes it’s a dud,” Ms. Cody said. “When I call ‘Nick!’ he’s like, ‘Yeah,
what?’ ” she said, referring to an Akita mix. “But when I call him Louie the
Lip, he comes running.” </i></b></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: "Times New Roman","serif"; font-size: 12pt; line-height: 115%;"><b><i>BY NOW we were armed with almost too much
information. So we decided to focus on the puppy himself. </i></b></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: "Times New Roman","serif"; font-size: 12pt; line-height: 115%;"><b><i>The Havanese originally flourished in Havana, and it
is often described as a big dog in the body of a little one. When we finally
met ours, he was not quite four pounds, but friendly, playful, curious,
indefatigable. He had a comically endearing personality. </i></b></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: "Times New Roman","serif"; font-size: 12pt; line-height: 115%;"><b><i>Such a funny little guy, we thought. And that’s how
his name came to us. O.K., so it’s a human name — that of a comedian, a Marx
brother. </i></b></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: "Times New Roman","serif"; font-size: 12pt; line-height: 115%;"><b><i>It’s also a Spanish word that, used affectionately,
can mean “little guy.” It satisfied my compulsive research requirements, with a
hard, crisp sound and a final long vowel. </i></b></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: "Times New Roman","serif"; font-size: 12pt; line-height: 115%;"><b><i>And when we call him — “Chico!” — he cocks his head
quizzically and then races over. Sometimes we don’t even have to use his name.<o:p></o:p></i></b></span></div>
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Adapted from: <span style="font-family: "Times New Roman","serif"; font-size: 12pt; line-height: 115%; mso-ansi-language: EN-US; mso-bidi-language: AR-SA; mso-fareast-font-family: Calibri; mso-fareast-language: EN-US; mso-fareast-theme-font: minor-latin;"><a href="http://www.nytimes.com/2013/04/04/garden/the-art-of-naming-a-dog.html?pagewanted=1&_r=0"><span style="color: blue;">http://www.nytimes.com/2013/04/04/garden/the-art-of-naming-a-dog.html?pagewanted=1&_r=0</span></a></span>
</div>
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<span style="font-family: "Times New Roman","serif"; font-size: 12pt; line-height: 115%;"><b><i><span style="font-size: x-large;">Modern, Four-Story Home For Cats<o:p></o:p></span></i></b></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: "Times New Roman","serif"; font-size: 12pt; line-height: 115%;"><b><i>We love when designers get to thinking about how to
create hip accommodations for kitties. In the past, we’ve featured covered
litter boxes inspired by mid-century modernism and feral cat shelters inspired
by Frank Lloyd Wright (yes, seriously). Today, we bring you Catissa, a wooden,
four-story house meant to be affixed to a wall. Conceived by Mojorno, a Russian
design studio, Catissa gives cats a bird’s eye view of the house while also
providing “a safe place” for them to take a nap. “Dogs and children can’t get
them,” the designer says. Plus, the smooth surface makes for easy cleaning.<o:p></o:p></i></b></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: "Times New Roman","serif"; font-size: 12pt; line-height: 115%;">Adapted from: <a href="http://www.architizer.com/en_us/blog/dyn/83376/a-modern-four-story-home-for-cats/"><span style="color: blue;">http://www.architizer.com/en_us/blog/dyn/83376/a-modern-four-story-home-for-cats/</span></a></span></div>
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<span style="font-size: large;">Pretty snazzy, huh?</span><br />
<br />
<span style="font-size: large;">On a more serious note, this final topic is something you should consider as you strive for taking better care of your dogs and cats.</span><br />
</div>
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<span style="font-family: "Times New Roman","serif"; line-height: 115%;"><b><i><span style="font-size: x-large;">Do You Trust Your Vet?</span> </i></b></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: "Times New Roman","serif"; font-size: 12pt; line-height: 115%;"><b><i>The Irreverent Vet Speaks Out<o:p></o:p></i></b></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: "Times New Roman","serif"; font-size: 12pt; line-height: 115%;"><b><i>What should you do if you don't trust your vet or
feel you are being taken advantage of?</i></b></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: "Times New Roman","serif"; font-size: 12pt; line-height: 115%;"><b><i>It's a fair question. I was talking to my friends at
PetPlace about this, and they asked me to write an article on the subject.</i></b></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: "Times New Roman","serif"; font-size: 12pt; line-height: 115%;"><b><i>First, let me introduce myself for those of you that
don't know me. I'm the Irreverent Veterinarian. I speak my mind and give you my
honest opinion. I won't sweet-talk you or sugarcoat the truth. I tell it like
it is – to you, the drug companies, the pet product manufacturers, professional
breeders and pet owners. Some might say that I'm truthful to a fault. Some of
the pet owners and breeders who read my columns get really angry. It is hard
hearing the truth. </i></b></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: "Times New Roman","serif"; font-size: 12pt; line-height: 115%;"><b><i>So, this is what happened. Recently, my friend told
me this story about his car:</i></b></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: "Times New Roman","serif"; font-size: 12pt; line-height: 115%;"><b><i>The other day I took my car to the shop for an oil
change. I like cars but I don't know enough about them to do my own repairs and
oil changes. Anyway, the mechanic told me that I needed a fuel additive – that
is an additional $12.95. They said my air filter should be changed – that cost
$29.99. They wanted to upgrade my oil from the regular to the synthetic (an
additional $49.99). And they said it would be a good idea to change the
transmission fluid. So a simple $29.99 oil change was now going to cost me
nearly $200!</i></b></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: "Times New Roman","serif"; font-size: 12pt; line-height: 115%;"><b><i>Since my friend didn't know enough about cars to
know whether or not he REALLY needed these things, how does he know if they
were really telling him the truth (or if they were just trying to get more
money out of him)? The reason I'm telling you this story is because it made my
friend feel vulnerable. I've been in similar situations, so I understand how he
felt. He didn't know whether he needed these things or not so the situation
made him uneasy. If they were simply taking advantage of him, how would he
know? </i></b></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: "Times New Roman","serif"; font-size: 12pt; line-height: 115%;"><b><i>My friend's wife said that she feels the say way
when she takes her dog to the vet. She said, "I want to do the right
thing, but I don't know if my dog really needs all these things or not ... and
it could cost hundreds of dollars."</i></b></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: "Times New Roman","serif"; font-size: 12pt; line-height: 115%;"><b><i>Wow – that is something I had not really thought
much about. But she makes a good point. </i></b></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: "Times New Roman","serif"; font-size: 12pt; line-height: 115%;"><b><i>I always try to do the best for my patients and
recommend what is truly needed. I try to treat every dog as if it were my own –
and recommend what I would do for my own pet. </i></b></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: "Times New Roman","serif"; font-size: 12pt; line-height: 115%;"><b><i>In addition, I generally give my clients options.
Not everyone can afford the best or ideal treatment plan. I generally give
options for the ideal diagnostic and therapeutic approach and another option
that is not quite ideal but reasonable (and less expensive).</i></b></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: "Times New Roman","serif"; font-size: 12pt; line-height: 115%;"><b><i>What if you feel you cannot trust your vet to do the
right thing? </i></b></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: "Times New Roman","serif"; font-size: 12pt; line-height: 115%;"><b><i>My advice is that you ultimately you do need to
trust your veterinarian. Consider why you are feeling uneasy. Is it because
your veterinarian is telling you something that is difficult to hear (something
they recommend but you can not afford)? Or, is it because your vet does not
listen to you?</i></b></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: "Times New Roman","serif"; font-size: 12pt; line-height: 115%;"><b><i>My Final Thoughts on Trusting Your Veterinarian</i></b></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: "Times New Roman","serif"; font-size: 12pt; line-height: 115%;"><b><i>It is hard to compare a veterinary service to an oil
change but you need to trust your mechanic. If you don't trust him – you need
to get a different mechanic. </i></b></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: "Times New Roman","serif"; font-size: 12pt; line-height: 115%;"><b><i>You also need to trust your veterinarian. I think
the best thing you can do is to keep an open dialogue of communication. If you
have a question – ask. If you don't get an answer you are comfortable with –
consider getting a different veterinarian.</i></b> </span></div>
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<span style="font-family: "Times New Roman","serif"; font-size: 12pt; line-height: 115%;"><span style="font-family: "Times New Roman","serif"; font-size: 12pt; line-height: 115%;"><b><i>You should be able to have open communication with your vet – that is part of the trust. If you don't feel you have that, find a different vet that you can personally connect with – someone who makes you fee comfortable.<o:p></o:p></i></b></span></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: "Times New Roman","serif"; font-size: 12pt; line-height: 115%;">Adapted from: <a href="http://www.petplace.com/dogs/do-you-trust-your-vet-the-irreverent-vet-speaks-out/page1.aspx?utm_source=dogcrazynews&utm_medium=email&utm_campaign=DogTraffic&utm_content=DC-20130406-3-%5bT%5d&email=kfwash@aol.com"><span style="color: blue;">http://www.petplace.com/dogs/do-you-trust-your-vet-the-irreverent-vet-speaks-out/page1.aspx?utm_source=dogcrazynews&utm_medium=email&utm_campaign=DogTraffic&utm_content=DC-20130406-3-[T]&email=kfwash@aol.com</span></a><o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span style="font-size: large;">Wow, I really can't believe that this brings me to the end of the 261st issue of <b><span style="color: #990000;">Questions On Dogs and Cats</span></b>! Where has the time gone?</span></div>
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<span style="font-size: large;">Remember that, even though the blog is ending, you will still be able to access this web site and look for pet information in the "Labels" list on the left side of the page. Also, I'll still periodically check my gmail account in case you'd like to send an e-mail comment or ask any pet-related questions...feel free to do so. Send them to: <a href="mailto:dogcatvethelp@gmail.com">dogcatvethelp@gmail.com</a> .</span></div>
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<span style="font-size: large;">None of these 261 issues would have been as enjoyable and easy to read if Desperado hadn't contributed her many talents. As usual, she has vastly improved a situation simply by being a part of it. There are so many things I couldn't have done without her over the last 44 years and I am especially very thankful for her contributions to this blog. </span></div>
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<span style="font-size: large;">I'd like to give my heartfelt thanks to all of you who have been with me on this ride...and especially those who have been with me from the beginning--it wouldn't have been nearly as much fun without you!</span></div>
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<span style="font-size: large;">As our favorite cowboy singer, Michael Martin Murphey, says at the end of each concert, "...and so, another day in the American West has come to an end,"...as does this blog. Desperado and Helpful Buckeye thank you all for your participation and we wish you well as we watch the western sun settle toward the horizon....</span></div>
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgoqzusgV19HpXay1JxrqLm-GuhEEDt8sod_q2h6kngAjE6S7CEqLgYtMH4kjHISfRcIZKfM2i4M8mGzbAC7SIaQUmQL4p_Q1juTsae9l-nDBeR4UvJ_v-4ZwkmVI8IFFKn4EZS1ulHv2Y/s1600/Cowboys+at+Sunset.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgoqzusgV19HpXay1JxrqLm-GuhEEDt8sod_q2h6kngAjE6S7CEqLgYtMH4kjHISfRcIZKfM2i4M8mGzbAC7SIaQUmQL4p_Q1juTsae9l-nDBeR4UvJ_v-4ZwkmVI8IFFKn4EZS1ulHv2Y/s1600/Cowboys+at+Sunset.jpg" /></a></div>
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<span style="font-size: large;">With the help of Roy Rogers and Dale Evans, we offer this final farewell to all of you...Happy Trails To You...go ahead and sing along (we do so quite frequently)...listen here:</span></div>
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<a href="http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=XcYsO890YJY">http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=XcYsO890YJY</a></div>
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<span style="font-family: "Times New Roman","serif"; line-height: 115%;"><o:p><span style="font-size: large;"> <span style="color: black; mso-ansi-language: EN-US; mso-bidi-language: AR-SA; mso-fareast-font-family: "Times New Roman"; mso-fareast-language: EN-US;"><i>~~The goal of this blog is to provide general
information and advice to help you be a better pet owner and to have a more
rewarding relationship with your pet. This blog does not intend to replace the
professional one-on-one care your pet receives from a practicing veterinarian.
When in doubt about your pet's health, always visit a veterinarian.~~</i></span></span></o:p></span></div>
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Helpful Buckeyehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/18134633849820948837noreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-16663019142577616.post-86661219772190751902013-04-28T23:00:00.000-07:002013-04-28T23:00:16.449-07:00EVALUATING YOUR PET'S CONDITION<strong><em></em></strong><br />
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<strong><span style="font-size: x-large;">EOB-1....</span></strong><br />
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<span style="font-size: large;">OK, now, pay attention! If you've been reading this blog for long enough, you know that Helpful Buckeye has stressed repeatedly that a pet owner needs to be familiar with the habits and appearance of their dog or cat. That is one of the most reliable ways to be able to tell when something just isn't right with the pet. Awareness of the normal state of events is the first step in the process of catching a disease or illness in its early stages. Catching an illness early in its development not only gives your pet a better chance of an earlier recovery but also has the potential of saving you some money...and both of those are big pluses.</span><br />
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<span style="font-family: "Times New Roman","serif"; line-height: 115%;"><strong><em><span style="font-size: x-large;">For the love of your pets: Evaluating your pets'
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<span style="font-family: "Times New Roman","serif"; line-height: 115%;"><strong><em><span style="font-size: x-large;">condition<o:p></o:p></span></em></strong></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: "Times New Roman","serif"; font-size: 12pt; line-height: 115%;"><strong><em>By Dr. John Beck</em></strong></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: "Times New Roman","serif"; font-size: 12pt; line-height: 115%;"><strong><em>My own dog was diagnosed with a heart condition about
six months ago. We have some trouble every now and then, but for the most part,
his condition is controlled with the medications my veterinarian prescribed. Is
there any way for us to know if his "spell" is worth taking him into
the vet on emergency or if it is something I can wait on? </em></strong></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: "Times New Roman","serif"; font-size: 12pt; line-height: 115%;"><strong><em>Heart conditions are a tricky science. It is usually
a blend of medications given a couple of times a day to help maintain your
pet's quality of life. Regular visits to your veterinarian are necessary to
evaluate how your pet is doing on all the medicines and make sure all of his
needs are being met. </em></strong></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: "Times New Roman","serif"; font-size: 12pt; line-height: 115%;"><strong><em>The fastest way to evaluate your pet's current state
is to try and take his vital statistics - just like a human hospital would get
your weight, temperature, blood pressure, etc. upon arrival. You can do the
same for your pet. </em></strong></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: "Times New Roman","serif"; font-size: 12pt; line-height: 115%;"><strong><em>Mucous membranes are something we always look at
when first seeing a patient. Mucous membranes usually refer to the color and
wetness of the gum line. A healthy gum line is usually a pretty bright pink and
slick to the touch due to the saliva. If a dog is having trouble breathing or
making oxygen exchange, the gums can appear purple in color. If the dog is
dehydrated, they can feel tacky or sticky to the touch. </em></strong></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: "Times New Roman","serif"; font-size: 12pt; line-height: 115%;"><strong><em>Another vital statistic that is regularly checked on
a dog/cat is capillary refill time. This is how long it takes for the
capillaries (small blood vessels) in the gum line to fill back up with blood
after being emptied. To check this, you need to apply mild pressure to the gum
line until it turns white, then let go. Count, in seconds, how long it takes
for the gum to return to a normal color. If the return time is one to two
seconds this is considered normal. Anything over three seconds is considered abnormal.
</em></strong></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: "Times New Roman","serif"; font-size: 12pt; line-height: 115%;"><strong><em>You can check your pet's pulse by finding the
femoral artery that runs inside the pets back leg. The groin section is usually
the easiest place to find it. Count how many times you can feel the pulse in 15
seconds then multiply by four. This will give you the number of heart beats per
minute. For dogs that are less than 30 pounds, an average heart rate or pulse
is 100-160 beats per minute. For a dog over 30 pounds, an average heart rate or
pulse is 60-100 beats per minute. The smaller the dog, the faster the heart
rate; and the larger the dog, the slower the heart rate. Puppies and cats
typically have a pretty quick heart rate regardless of size. They tend to run
in the 100-130 beat per minute range. </em></strong></span></div>
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjBioUAn_vVV1fQLUSrN65GY8DieWE6BkpsmEhX_dw0_kwW15l4yMTU7iD91YpbFhk2ifZnzu8BXkuVBy8b4sxCJ_f4lwHRuI_3jTnUE1G6DUGUAD1petNCH4p92B2pbXmWEAZ3Xg8yB-U/s1600/Dog+Hot+Water+Bottle.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="191" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjBioUAn_vVV1fQLUSrN65GY8DieWE6BkpsmEhX_dw0_kwW15l4yMTU7iD91YpbFhk2ifZnzu8BXkuVBy8b4sxCJ_f4lwHRuI_3jTnUE1G6DUGUAD1petNCH4p92B2pbXmWEAZ3Xg8yB-U/s320/Dog+Hot+Water+Bottle.jpg" width="320" /></a><span style="font-family: "Times New Roman","serif"; font-size: 12pt; line-height: 115%;"><strong><em>To check your pet's temperature, you will have to
use a rectal thermometer. Adding some lubricating jelly will help with the
discomfort. The average dog or cat temperature is 101.5 Fahrenheit. If the
patient is very excited, the temperature might be a degree higher. If the
patient is very old or calm, the temperature might be a degree lower. </em></strong></span><br />
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<span style="font-family: "Times New Roman","serif"; font-size: 12pt; line-height: 115%;"><strong><em>These vital statistics can be taken to help reassure
yourself of your pet's condition. If you need more help or have any other
questions, please feel free to contact me or your local veterinarian.<o:p></o:p></em></strong></span></div>
Adapted from: <span style="font-family: "Times New Roman","serif"; font-size: 12pt; line-height: 115%; mso-ansi-language: EN-US; mso-bidi-language: AR-SA; mso-fareast-font-family: Calibri; mso-fareast-language: EN-US; mso-fareast-theme-font: minor-latin;"><a href="http://www.victoriaadvocate.com/news/2011/jul/14/yl_john_beck_071711_145242/?news&local-news"><span style="color: blue;">http://www.victoriaadvocate.com/news/2011/jul/14/yl_john_beck_071711_145242/?news&local-news</span></a></span><br />
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<span style="font-family: "Times New Roman","serif"; font-size: 12pt; line-height: 115%;"><span style="font-size: x-large;"><strong><em>Is this Normal? - When to take your pet to the
</em></strong></span></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: "Times New Roman","serif"; font-size: 12pt; line-height: 115%;"><span style="font-size: x-large;"><strong><em>Veterinarian<o:p></o:p></em></strong></span></span></div>
Adapted from: <span style="font-family: "Times New Roman","serif"; font-size: 12pt; line-height: 115%; mso-ansi-language: EN-US; mso-bidi-language: AR-SA; mso-fareast-font-family: Calibri; mso-fareast-language: EN-US; mso-fareast-theme-font: minor-latin;"><a href="http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=JseqepJ0bbA&feature=youtu.be&utm_source=smartbrief&utm_medium=email"><span style="color: blue;">http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=JseqepJ0bbA&feature=youtu.be&utm_source=smartbrief&utm_medium=email</span></a></span><br />
<span style="font-family: "Times New Roman","serif"; font-size: 12pt; line-height: 115%; mso-ansi-language: EN-US; mso-bidi-language: AR-SA; mso-fareast-font-family: Calibri; mso-fareast-language: EN-US; mso-fareast-theme-font: minor-latin;"></span><br />
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<span style="font-family: "Times New Roman","serif"; font-size: 12pt; line-height: 115%;"><strong><em><span style="font-size: x-large;">10 Signs Your Pet Needs To See The Vet<o:p></o:p></span></em></strong></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: "Times New Roman","serif"; font-size: 12pt; line-height: 115%;"><strong><em>Most pet guardians recognize the obvious signs of a
pet in distress and would seek veterinary care for all the obvious signs of
illness or injury such as bleeding or an animal who can not stand. But what
about the more subtle signs that your pet needs help? Every species has its one
code, its own tell-tale signs of trouble, and in the animal kingdom,
communication can be cryptic to the human eye. One golden rule is to watch for
any behavioral shifts which may have an alarming underlying cause..</em></strong></span></div>
<div class="MsoListParagraphCxSpFirst" style="margin: 0in 0in 0pt 40.5pt; mso-add-space: auto; mso-list: l0 level1 lfo1; text-align: left; text-indent: -0.25in;">
<strong><em><span style="font-family: "Times New Roman","serif"; font-size: 12pt; line-height: 115%; mso-fareast-font-family: "Times New Roman";"><span style="mso-list: Ignore;">1.<span style="font-size-adjust: none; font-stretch: normal; font: 7pt/normal "Times New Roman";"> </span></span></span><span style="font-family: "Times New Roman","serif"; font-size: 12pt; line-height: 115%;">Restlessness:
Maggie, the 10-year-old calico cat, was always a quiet girl. She preferred to
spend most of the day sleeping in a wicker basket. So when Maggie began
exploring the house more, particularly at night, her family was thrilled to see
her becoming more active. Maggie would pace through the house, checking every
room and sometimes let out a single meow. Turns out, Maggie was suffering from
a brain tumor that was giving her severe headaches. The pacing was her response
to the pain. What looked like a wonderful new sense of exploration, was
actually the manifestation of severe illness. Restlessness can be a firm
indicator of pain or anxiety.<o:p></o:p></span></em></strong></div>
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</em></strong></div>
<div class="MsoListParagraphCxSpMiddle" style="margin: 0in 0in 0pt 40.5pt; mso-add-space: auto; mso-list: l0 level1 lfo1; text-align: left; text-indent: -0.25in;">
<strong><em><span style="font-family: "Times New Roman","serif"; font-size: 12pt; line-height: 115%; mso-fareast-font-family: "Times New Roman";"><span style="mso-list: Ignore;">2.<span style="font-size-adjust: none; font-stretch: normal; font: 7pt/normal "Times New Roman";"> </span></span></span><span style="font-family: "Times New Roman","serif"; font-size: 12pt; line-height: 115%;">Unusual
Ways of Getting Your Attention: What do you make of a bunny who normally
wanders the living room floor but is suddenly ascending onto the couch? Perhaps
he has his ears cocked in different directions instead of the usual symmetrical
arrangement. Bunny may be trying to get your attention. A common cause of pain
in rabbits comes from their mouths as teeth tend to grow spurs causing painful
lacerations and infection, especially in the rear corners of the mouth that can
only be viewed with special veterinary instruments. In dogs and cats, frequent
barking or meowing that is uncharacteristic for your pet, could be a sign of
distress. Any time your pet is persistently turning to you for attention and
you are unable to satisfy this pleading with food, water or a walk outdoors,
you could be looking at a pet who is in need of care.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>In iguanas, face rubbing is a problem and can
lead to injury from abrasive metal cages. Environmental changes, health issues
or a small cage can provoke the behavior.<o:p></o:p></span></em></strong></div>
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</em></strong></div>
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<strong><em><span style="font-family: "Times New Roman","serif"; font-size: 12pt; line-height: 115%; mso-fareast-font-family: "Times New Roman";"><span style="mso-list: Ignore;">3.<span style="font-size-adjust: none; font-stretch: normal; font: 7pt/normal "Times New Roman";"> </span></span></span><span style="font-family: "Times New Roman","serif"; font-size: 12pt; line-height: 115%;">Changes
in Body Presentation and Posture: A pet bird who sits with his feathers ruffled
out for a long period of time may be suffering respiratory illness See a
complete list of bird health warning signs here In rabbits, a hunched and
hunkered down posture can indicate stasis, a painful and potentially deadly
slow-down of the gastrointestinal tract which is common to rabbits and requires
immediate veterinary intervention. And in dogs and cats, you'll want to pay
attention if your pet is suddenly sleeping in an unusual position, limping or
hesitating to sit down.<o:p></o:p></span></em></strong></div>
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<strong><em><span style="font-family: "Times New Roman","serif"; font-size: 12pt; line-height: 115%; mso-fareast-font-family: "Times New Roman";"><span style="mso-list: Ignore;">4.<span style="font-size-adjust: none; font-stretch: normal; font: 7pt/normal "Times New Roman";"> </span></span></span><span style="font-family: "Times New Roman","serif"; font-size: 12pt; line-height: 115%;">Hesitation
to Jump or Climb: A dog who begins to hesitate before jumping into the car or
onto the bed may be experiencing arthritis, hip dysplasia or even early signs
of neurological disease.<o:p></o:p></span></em></strong></div>
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</em></strong></div>
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<strong><em><span style="font-family: "Times New Roman","serif"; font-size: 12pt; line-height: 115%; mso-fareast-font-family: "Times New Roman";"><span style="mso-list: Ignore;">5.<span style="font-size-adjust: none; font-stretch: normal; font: 7pt/normal "Times New Roman";"> </span></span></span><span style="font-family: "Times New Roman","serif"; font-size: 12pt; line-height: 115%;">Going
into Hiding/ Becoming Quiet: If your normally social pet begins seeking more
quiet time or begins sleeping a lot more, this can be a red flag indicating
some form of pain or infection. This is a big one and you'll want to begin
paying careful attention to see if you can uncover any other changes so that
you can report these to the vet as well. In fact, one cat who recently
swallowed a long piece of string that was constricting his intestines was
simply noted to be sitting quietly and not bouncing around as he usually does.
This change had only begun that morning, but his eyes seemed to say, something
is wrong, and fortunately his very astute guardian rushed him to the vet where
an x-ray revealed the foreign body and emergency surgery saved his life.</span></em></strong> </div>
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<span style="font-family: "Times New Roman","serif"; font-size: 12pt; line-height: 115%;"></span><strong><em><span style="font-family: "Times New Roman","serif"; font-size: 12pt; line-height: 115%; mso-fareast-font-family: "Times New Roman";"><span style="mso-list: Ignore;">6.<span style="font-size-adjust: none; font-stretch: normal; font: 7pt/normal "Times New Roman";"> </span></span></span><span style="font-family: "Times New Roman","serif"; font-size: 12pt; line-height: 115%;">Pee
& Poo Indicators: Your animal's bathroom habits are an excellent barometer
of health which is why its critically important for pet guardians to observe
their pets' elimination behaviors. Frequent urination can indicate a variety of
sneaky and serious health issues ranging from diabetes to urinary tract
infection to kidney failure. In fact, in male cats blockage of the urinary
tract can suddenly occur and your cat will be unable to urinate despite
desperate attempts. If your litter box is out of sight, you will not notice
these red flags. You must see how often your cat is visiting the box. Daily
cleaning of the box to look for appropriate quantity of urine is essential, but
in multi-cat households, it's harder to spot illness in a single cat through
cleaning alone. Changes in bowel movements can indicate anything from simple
parasitic infection to intestinal disease to gastrointestinal hemorrhaging.
Black poo, poo with red blood or diarrhea that persists are all reasons to see
the vet.<o:p></o:p></span></em></strong></div>
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</em></strong></div>
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<strong><em><span style="font-family: "Times New Roman","serif"; font-size: 12pt; line-height: 115%; mso-fareast-font-family: "Times New Roman";"><span style="mso-list: Ignore;">7.<span style="font-size-adjust: none; font-stretch: normal; font: 7pt/normal "Times New Roman";"> </span></span></span><span style="font-family: "Times New Roman","serif"; font-size: 12pt; line-height: 115%;">Bad
Breath: Geriatric pets are not the only ones who can suffer from dental
diseases. Even in kittens as young as four months old, severe dental disease
can be present as a result of common viruses and severe pain, even exposed
nerves, can evolve quickly. If your pet has foul breath, don't play games with
over-the-counter breath freshening tools. First, see your vet to find out if
your pet has abscesses, broken teeth, gingival (gum) complications or other oral
health conditions that could be causing pain and opening the window to
additional disease of major organs including the heart.<o:p></o:p></span></em></strong></div>
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</em></strong></div>
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<strong><em><span style="font-family: "Times New Roman","serif"; font-size: 12pt; line-height: 115%; mso-fareast-font-family: "Times New Roman";"><span style="mso-list: Ignore;">8.<span style="font-size-adjust: none; font-stretch: normal; font: 7pt/normal "Times New Roman";"> </span></span></span><span style="font-family: "Times New Roman","serif"; font-size: 12pt; line-height: 115%;">"False"
Hairballs or Coughing: You'd be surprised at how asthma in cats looks and
sounds like a cat trying to cough up a fur ball. Many cat guardians miss the
early signs of asthma because it appears so similar to the old 'hair ball'
routine. Viral infections, heart diseases, asthma and worms are but a few of
the reasons your pet may be coughing, wheezing or sneezing and it's simply
impossible for pet owners to make these determinations on their own.<o:p></o:p></span></em></strong></div>
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</em></strong></div>
<div class="MsoListParagraphCxSpMiddle" style="margin: 0in 0in 0pt 40.5pt; mso-add-space: auto; mso-list: l0 level1 lfo1; text-align: left; text-indent: -0.25in;">
<strong><em><span style="font-family: "Times New Roman","serif"; font-size: 12pt; line-height: 115%; mso-fareast-font-family: "Times New Roman";"><span style="mso-list: Ignore;">9.<span style="font-size-adjust: none; font-stretch: normal; font: 7pt/normal "Times New Roman";"> </span></span></span><span style="font-family: "Times New Roman","serif"; font-size: 12pt; line-height: 115%;">Itching:
Sometimes food allergies, environmental allergies or external parasites cause
itching.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>Particularly if you pet is
itching at his ears and wincing, painful ear mites or yeast overgrowth may be
present.<o:p></o:p></span></em></strong></div>
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</em></strong></div>
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<strong><em><span style="font-family: "Times New Roman","serif"; font-size: 12pt; line-height: 115%; mso-fareast-font-family: "Times New Roman";"><span style="mso-list: Ignore;">10.<span style="font-size-adjust: none; font-stretch: normal; font: 7pt/normal "Times New Roman";"> </span></span></span><span style="font-family: "Times New Roman","serif"; font-size: 12pt; line-height: 115%;">Not
Your Average Vomit: Pets do vomit occasionally but sometimes vomit is an
indicator of an emergency ranging from poisoning, an ingested foreign object or
serious illness. And, in fact, retching unproductively can also indicate a
severe condition in dogs in which their stomach is twisted.</span></em></strong></div>
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<span style="font-family: "Times New Roman","serif"; font-size: 12pt; line-height: 115%;">Adapted from: <a href="http://www.pawnation.com/2013/02/06/10-signs-your-pet-needs-the-vet/?icid=maing-grid10%7Chtmlws-main-bb%7Cdl40%7Csec1_lnk2%26pLid%3D267294#photo=1"><span style="color: blue;">http://www.pawnation.com/2013/02/06/10-signs-your-pet-needs-the-vet/?icid=maing-grid10%7Chtmlws-main-bb%7Cdl40%7Csec1_lnk2%26pLid%3D267294#photo=1</span></a></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: "Times New Roman","serif"; font-size: 12pt; line-height: 115%;"><span style="font-size: x-large;"><strong><em>21 Symptoms You Should
Never Ignore in</em></strong></span></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: "Times New Roman","serif"; font-size: 12pt; line-height: 115%;"><span style="font-size: x-large;"><strong><em> Your Dog<o:p></o:p></em></strong></span></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: "Times New Roman","serif"; font-size: 12pt; line-height: 115%;"><strong><em>By: Dr. Debra Primovic</em></strong></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: "Times New Roman","serif"; font-size: 12pt; line-height: 115%;"><strong><em>There are serious
symptoms that should never be ignored in your dog. A symptom is defined as
"any problem that can indicate an underlying disease" and may be your
first clue to the presence of a life-threatening problem in your dog. Here is a
list of 21 symptoms that should never be ignored if you see them from your dog!</em></strong></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: "Times New Roman","serif"; font-size: 12pt; line-height: 115%;"><strong><em>1. Pacing and
Restlessness. In dogs, pacing and restlessness can be indicate pain, discomfort
or distress. Restlessness can be associated with a condition called
"bloat" in which the stomach. Bloat and most commonly occurs in large
breed or deep-chested dogs. Pacing and restless can be an indicator of a
serious problem. </em></strong></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: "Times New Roman","serif"; font-size: 12pt; line-height: 115%;"><strong><em>2. Unproductive
Retching. Dogs that attempt to vomit and are unable to bring anything up is a
common sign of "bloat". You should call your veterinarian immediately.
</em></strong></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: "Times New Roman","serif"; font-size: 12pt; line-height: 115%;"><strong><em>3. Collapse or
Fainting. Acute collapse is a sudden loss of strength causing your dog to fall
and be unable to rise. Some dogs that suddenly collapse will actually lose
consciousness. This is called fainting or syncope. Some dogs recover very
quickly and look essentially normal just seconds to minutes after collapsing,
whereas others stay in the collapsed state until helped. All the reasons for
collapse or fainting are serious and should not be ignored. See your
veterinarian immediately. </em></strong></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: "Times New Roman","serif"; font-size: 12pt; line-height: 115%;"><strong><em>4. Not Eating or Loss
of Appetite. Anorexia is a term used to describe the situation where an animal
loses his appetite and does not want to eat or is unable to eat. There are many
causes of a "loss of appetite" and is often the first indication of
illness. Regardless of cause, loss of appetite can have a serious impact on an
animal's health if it lasts 24 hours or more. Young animals less than 6 months
of age are particularly prone to the problems brought on by loss of appetite. </em></strong></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: "Times New Roman","serif"; font-size: 12pt; line-height: 115%;"><strong><em>5. Losing Weight.
Weight loss is a physical condition that results from a negative caloric
balance. This usually occurs when the body uses and/or excretes essential
nutrients faster than it can consume them. Essentially more calories are being
burned than are being taken in. Weight loss is considered clinically important
when it exceeds 10 percent of the normal body weight and is not associated with
fluid loss. There are several causes for this, some of which can be very
serious. </em></strong></span><br />
<strong><em></em></strong><br />
<span style="font-family: "Times New Roman","serif"; font-size: 12pt; line-height: 115%;"><strong><em>6. Breathing Problems.
Respiratory distress, often called dyspnea, is labored, difficult breathing or
shortness of breath. This can occur at any time during the breathing process,
during inspiration (breathing in) or expiration (breathing out). When your dog
has trouble breathing, he may not be able to get enough oxygen to his tissues.
Additionally, if he has heart failure, he may not be able to pump sufficient
blood to his muscles and other tissues. Dyspnea is often associated with
accumulation of fluid (edema) in the lungs or the chest cavity (pleural
effusion). This fluid can lead to shortness of breath and coughing. This is a
very serious symptom and should be evaluated immediately. </em></strong></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: "Times New Roman","serif"; font-size: 12pt; line-height: 115%;"><strong><em>7. Red Eye. A "red
eye" is a non-specific sign of inflammation or infection. It may be seen
with several different diseases including those involving different parts of
the eye including the external eyelids, third eyelid, conjunctiva, cornea, and
sclera (white portion of the eye). It may also occur with inflammation of the structures inside the eye,
with glaucoma (high pressure within the eye) or with certain diseases of the
orbit (eye socket). Either one or both eyes can become red, depending upon the
cause of the problem. Some of the possible causes can be serious and ultimately
cause blindness. </em></strong></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: "Times New Roman","serif"; font-size: 12pt; line-height: 115%;"><strong><em>8. Jaundice. Jaundice,
also referred to as icterus, describes the yellow color taken on by the tissues
throughout the body due to elevated levels of bilirubin, a substance that comes
from the breakdown of red blood cells. There are several causes for jaundice
and regardless of the cause, jaundice is considered abnormal and serious in the
dog. </em></strong></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: "Times New Roman","serif"; font-size: 12pt; line-height: 115%;"><strong><em>9. Trouble Urinating.
"Trouble urinating" can include straining to urinate, frequent
attempts at urination, and evidence of discomfort when urinating. Discomfort
may be demonstrated by crying out during urination, excessive licking at the
urogenital region or turning and looking at the area. There are several
underlying causes. Some of the causes if left untreated can result in death in
as little as 36 hours. </em></strong></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: "Times New Roman","serif"; font-size: 12pt; line-height: 115%;"><strong><em>10. Urinating and
Drinking Excessively. These signs are often early signs of disease including
kidney failure, diabetes mellitus, thyroid gland problems, uterine infection
(called pyometra), as well as other causes. Dogs normally take in about 20 to
40 milliliters per pound of body weight per day, or one to two cups per day for
a normal sized dog. If you determine that your pet is drinking excessively,
make an appointment with your veterinarian. </em></strong></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: "Times New Roman","serif"; font-size: 12pt; line-height: 115%;"><strong><em>11. Fever. A fever is
defined as an abnormally high body temperature resulting from internal
controls. It is believed that fever is a method of fighting infection. The body
resets the temperature control area of the brain to increase the body
temperature – probably in response to invasion of foreign matter such as
bacteria or viruses. The normal temperature in dogs is 100.5 to 102.5 degrees
Fahrenheit. If your pet temperature is high, call your veterinarian. </em></strong></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: "Times New Roman","serif"; font-size: 12pt; line-height: 115%;"><strong><em>12. Seizure. A seizure
or convulsion is a sudden excessive firing of nerves in the brain. The severity
of the seizure can vary between a far-away look or twitching in one part of the
face to your dog falling on his side, barking, gnashing his teeth, urinating,
defecating and paddling his limbs. A seizure can last from seconds to minutes.
Seizures are symptoms of some neurological disorder – they are not in
themselves a disease. They can be caused by several disorders including
epilepsy, toxins or tumors. </em></strong></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: "Times New Roman","serif"; font-size: 12pt; line-height: 115%;"><strong><em>13. Bruising and
Bleeding. Abnormal bruising and bleeding arises with disorders of hemostasis
(clotting). Clotting abnormalities are also called coagulopathies, because they
reflect the inability of the blood to coagulate or clot. Bleeding from clotting
disturbances may occur into the skin, the mucous membranes, and various
internal organs, tissues, and body cavities. The impact of such bleeding on the
affected individual may be mild or severe depending on the degree of blood
loss. </em></strong></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: "Times New Roman","serif"; font-size: 12pt; line-height: 115%;"><strong><em>14. Coughing. Coughing
is a common protective reflex that clears secretions or foreign matter from the
throat, voice box, and/or airways, and protects the lungs against aspiration.
It affects the respiratory system by hindering the ability to breathe properly.
Common causes include obstruction in the windpipe, bronchitis, pneumonia,
heartworm disease, lung tumors, kennel cough and heart failure. Some of the
causes are life threatening and all pets with a cough should be evaluated by a
veterinarian. </em></strong></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: "Times New Roman","serif"; font-size: 12pt; line-height: 115%;"><strong><em>15. Bloated or
Distended Abdomen. Abdominal distension is an abnormal enlargement of the
abdominal cavity. This term is usually reserved for abdominal enlargement due
to causes other than simple obesity. One cause of abdominal distension is
abnormal fluid accumulation. Another cause of abdominal distension is
enlargement of any abdominal organ including the liver, kidneys, or spleen.
Distension of the stomach with air ("bloating") or fluid or
distension of the uterus (womb) during pregnancy, can result in abdominal
distension. Pressure from the abdomen pushing into the chest may make breathing
more difficult and pressure within the abdomen may decrease the appetite. NOTE:
It is important to recognize abdominal distension because it can be a symptom
of potentially life-threatening diseases and should be investigated thoroughly.</em></strong></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: "Times New Roman","serif"; font-size: 12pt; line-height: 115%;"><strong><em>16. Bloody Diarrhea.
Blood in the feces can either appear as "melena" which makes the
stools appear black and tarry is the presence suggests digested blood in the
feces. Melena is different from fresh blood in the stool (hematochezia).
Bleeding into the colon or rectum appears as fresh blood in the stool. Bloody
diarrhea should be evaluated by your veterinarian as soon as possible. </em></strong></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: "Times New Roman","serif"; font-size: 12pt; line-height: 115%;"><strong><em>17. Bloody Urine.
Hematuria is the presence of red blood cells in the urine. It may be gross
(visible to the naked eye) or microscopic. There are several possible causes
including bacterial infections, cancer, stones in the urinary tract. </em></strong></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: "Times New Roman","serif"; font-size: 12pt; line-height: 115%;"><strong><em>18. Bite Wounds. Bite
wounds are often the result when two animals engage in a fight or aggressive
play. Bite wounds, which may only appear as a small puncture wound in the skin,
can actually be quite extensive. Once the tooth penetrates the skin, severe
damage can occur to the underlying tissues without major skin damage. Some
wounds may appear deceptively minor but may have the potential to be life
threatening, depending on the area of the body bitten. All bite wounds should
receive veterinary attention. </em></strong></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: "Times New Roman","serif"; font-size: 12pt; line-height: 115%;"><strong><em>19. Bloody
Vomit. Vomiting blood can fresh blood, which is bright red or partially digested
blood, which has the appearance of brown coffee grounds. There are a variety of
causes of vomiting blood and the effects on the animal are also variable. Some
are subtle and minor ailments, while others are severe or life threatening.</em></strong></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: "Times New Roman","serif"; font-size: 12pt; line-height: 115%;"><strong><em>20. Lethargy or
Weakness. Lethargy is a state of drowsiness, inactivity, or indifference in
which there are delayed responses to external stimuli such as auditory (sound),
visual (sight), or tactile (touch) stimuli. Lethargy is a nonspecific sign
associated with many possible underlying systemic disorders. It may have little
to no impact on the affected individual; however its presence may represent
severe or life-threatening illness. Lethargy of more than a day's duration
should not be ignored, and should be addressed, especially if it persists. </em></strong></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: "Times New Roman","serif"; font-size: 12pt; line-height: 115%;"><strong><em>21. Pale Gums. Pale
gums or mucous membranes can indicate blood loss or "shock". The
possible causes for either blood loss or shock are life-threatening and thus
should be evaluated immediately. </em></strong></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: "Times New Roman","serif"; font-size: 12pt; line-height: 115%;">Adapted from: <a href="http://www.petplace.com/dogs/21-symptoms-you-should-never-ignore-in-your-dog/page1.aspx"><span style="color: blue;">http://www.petplace.com/dogs/21-symptoms-you-should-never-ignore-in-your-dog/page1.aspx</span></a>
</span><br />
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<span style="font-family: "Times New Roman","serif"; font-size: 12pt; line-height: 115%;"><strong><em><span style="font-size: x-large;">Give pet a pat, and an
exam while at it<o:p></o:p></span></em></strong></span></div>
<strong><em>
</em></strong><br />
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<span style="font-family: "Times New Roman","serif"; font-size: 12pt; line-height: 115%;"><strong><em>There’s something
therapeutic about petting your cat or dog.</em></strong></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: "Times New Roman","serif"; font-size: 12pt; line-height: 115%;"><strong><em>No, really: Your
petting them could save their life. Depending on the animal, it’s not uncommon
for cats and dogs to develop lumps or bumps on or under their skin. During
annual veterinary exams, your vet should be checking for these.</em></strong></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: "Times New Roman","serif"; font-size: 12pt; line-height: 115%;"><strong><em>In between vet visits —
some even suggest once a week — it’s good to give your pet a check-over to make
sure no new bumps have emerged or that no existing bumps have grown.</em></strong></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: "Times New Roman","serif"; font-size: 12pt; line-height: 115%;"><strong><em>The vets at PetMD.com
and Southwest Veterinary Oncology suggest starting at the nose and working back
to the tail. Check the nostrils for discharge or bumps, and feel your way over
their face, ears and neck, not ignoring the skin in their wrinkles.</em></strong></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: "Times New Roman","serif"; font-size: 12pt; line-height: 115%;"><strong><em>Open a dog’s mouth (a
cat’s, too, if you can) and check for any abnormalities in the gums or tongue.</em></strong></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: "Times New Roman","serif"; font-size: 12pt; line-height: 115%;"><strong><em>Work your way down the
torso and legs, and check the anal area for bumps or discharge. Go all the way
to the end of the tail, getting in between toes and at the points where joints
connect.</em></strong></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: "Times New Roman","serif"; font-size: 12pt; line-height: 115%;"><strong><em>Most pets will allow
and even welcome the stroking: They’ll think you’re petting them, said Dr.
Jennifer Arthur of Southwest Veterinary Oncology.</em></strong></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: "Times New Roman","serif"; font-size: 12pt; line-height: 115%;"><strong><em>There are at least a
half-dozen possibilities of what the lump is and what caused it, so if you do
find one, don’t panic.</em></strong></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: "Times New Roman","serif"; font-size: 12pt; line-height: 115%;"><strong><em>The first step is to
check the same area on the other side. If it’s symmetrical, odds are it’s
nothing to be worried about.</em></strong></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: "Times New Roman","serif"; font-size: 12pt; line-height: 115%;"><strong><em>If it isn’t, call and
describe it to your vet. They may suggest that you come in, or they may just
ask that you monitor it during the next few weeks.</em></strong></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: "Times New Roman","serif"; font-size: 12pt; line-height: 115%;"><strong><em>It could turn out to be
an abscess, a sebaceous cyst, a skin papilloma (wart) or a variety of other non-fatal
things.</em></strong></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: "Times New Roman","serif"; font-size: 12pt; line-height: 115%;"><strong><em>If you detect swelling
around the lymph nodes (under jaw, in front of shoulders, junction of back legs
and front of knees on both animals), see the vet soon. This could be an
indicator of cancer, which your vet can detect.</em></strong></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: "Times New Roman","serif"; font-size: 12pt; line-height: 115%;"><strong><em>If a vet is unsure, he
or she may take a needle biopsy or excise the lump and send it to a pathologist
for a report.</em></strong></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: "Times New Roman","serif"; font-size: 12pt; line-height: 115%;"><strong><em>Whatever the issue is,
if you catch the lump early, treatment options are many.</em></strong></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: "Times New Roman","serif"; font-size: 12pt; line-height: 115%;"><strong><em>SouthwestVeterinaryOncology.com
has very helpful how-to videos on examining pets, and they offer a visual
tracker so you can monitor a bump’s appearance, growth and vet opinions. Their web site is at: <a href="http://southwestveterinaryoncology.com/how-to-check-and-monitor-lumps-or-bumps-in-pets/">http://southwestveterinaryoncology.com/how-to-check-and-monitor-lumps-or-bumps-in-pets/</a></em></strong></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: "Times New Roman","serif"; font-size: 12pt; line-height: 115%;"><strong><em>The next time you have
a rough day and need a snuggle, pet like you mean it and give your animal a
quick exam.</em></strong></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: "Times New Roman","serif"; font-size: 12pt; line-height: 115%;"><strong><em>It’s a simple, free
tool for keeping your pet healthy, and they’ll relish attention from their
favorite person in the whole world.<o:p></o:p></em></strong></span></div>
Adapted from: <span style="font-family: "Times New Roman","serif"; font-size: 12pt; line-height: 115%; mso-ansi-language: EN-US; mso-bidi-language: AR-SA; mso-fareast-font-family: Calibri; mso-fareast-language: EN-US; mso-fareast-theme-font: minor-latin;"><a href="http://www.sctimes.com/article/20130401/LIFE/304010005/Pet-column-Give-pet-pat-an-exam-while-it?gcheck=1&nclick_check=1"><span style="color: blue;">http://www.sctimes.com/article/20130401/LIFE/304010005/Pet-column-Give-pet-pat-an-exam-while-it?gcheck=1&nclick_check=1</span></a></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: "Times New Roman","serif"; line-height: 115%;"><span style="font-size: large;">Any questions or comments should be sent to Helpful Buckeye at: </span><a href="mailto:dogcatvethelp@gmail.com"><span style="font-size: large;">dogcatvethelp@gmail.com</span></a><span style="font-size: large;"> or submitted at the "Comment" section at the end of this issue.</span></span><span style="font-family: "Times New Roman","serif"; font-size: 12pt; line-height: 115%;"><o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<em><span style="color: black;"><span style="font-size: large;">~~The goal of this blog is to
provide general information and advice to help you be a better pet owner and to
have a more rewarding relationship with your pet. This blog does not intend to
replace the professional one-on-one care your pet receives from a practicing
veterinarian. When in doubt about your pet's health, always visit a
veterinarian.~~<o:p></o:p></span></span></em></div>
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Helpful Buckeyehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/18134633849820948837noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-16663019142577616.post-12096448262098013782013-04-21T23:00:00.000-07:002013-04-21T23:00:05.335-07:00EVOLUTION OF "MAN'S BEST FRIEND"<br />
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjQH0UHeJ3iLpdWOlg_tBYjo-FpOBiVC3OboJgy1BYOepzZqFbm4JIJJboIs9jea_hyphenhyphen0ab32QOw5CC8PXvoMFE4_W_qtz42fzujDVAqmdlVnrPbVOJnOXVAFX2U6l9OBjN0YYGVpKpvLnA/s1600/Dog+and+Wolf.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjQH0UHeJ3iLpdWOlg_tBYjo-FpOBiVC3OboJgy1BYOepzZqFbm4JIJJboIs9jea_hyphenhyphen0ab32QOw5CC8PXvoMFE4_W_qtz42fzujDVAqmdlVnrPbVOJnOXVAFX2U6l9OBjN0YYGVpKpvLnA/s1600/Dog+and+Wolf.jpg" /></a></div>
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<span style="font-family: "Times New Roman","serif"; font-size: 12pt; line-height: 115%;"><strong><em>Archaeology has placed the earliest known
domestication of dogs approximately at 30,000 BC, and with certainty at 7,000 BC. <span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> E</span>vidence suggests that dogs were first
domesticated in southern East Asia. </em></strong></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: "Times New Roman","serif"; font-size: 12pt; line-height: 115%;"><strong><em>Due to the difficulty in assessing the structural
differences in bones, the identification of a domestic dog based on cultural
evidence is of special value. Perhaps the earliest clear evidence for this
domestication is the first dog found buried together with human from 12,000
years ago in Palestine and a burial site in Germany called Bonn-Oberkassel with
joint human and dog interments dating to 14,000 years ago. </em></strong></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: "Times New Roman","serif"; font-size: 12pt; line-height: 115%;"><strong><em>In 2008, re-examination of material excavated from
Goyet Cave in Belgium in the late 19th century resulted in the identification
of a 31,700 year old dog, a large and powerful animal which ate reindeer, musk
oxen and horses. This dog was part of the Aurignacian culture that had produced
the art in Chauvet Cave.</em></strong></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: "Times New Roman","serif"; font-size: 12pt; line-height: 115%;"><strong><em>In 2010, the remains of a 33,000 year old dog were
found in the Altai Mountains of southern Siberia. DNA analysis published in
2013 affirmed that it was more closely related to modern dogs than to wolves. <span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>In 2011, the skeleton of a 26,000 to 27,000
year old dog was found in the Czech Republic. It had been interred with a
mammoth bone in its mouth—perhaps to assist its journey in the afterlife. </em></strong></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: "Times New Roman","serif"; font-size: 12pt; line-height: 115%;"><strong><em>Domestication of the wolf over time has produced a
number of physical or morphological changes. These include: a reduction in
overall size; changes in coat colouration and markings; a shorter jaw initially
with crowding of the teeth and, later, with the shrinking in size of the teeth;
a reduction in brain size and thus in cranial capacity (particularly those
areas relating to alertness and sensory processing, necessary in the wild); and
the development of a pronounced “stop”, or vertical drop in front of the
forehead (brachycephaly). Certain wolf-like behaviors, such as the
regurgitation of partially digested food for the young, have also disappeared.</em></strong></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: "Times New Roman","serif"; font-size: 12pt; line-height: 115%;">Adapted from: <a href="http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Origin_of_the_domestic_dog"><span style="color: blue;">http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Origin_of_the_domestic_dog</span></a><span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span></span></div>
<br />
<strong><span style="font-size: x-large;">EOB-2....</span></strong><br />
<strong></strong><br />
<span style="font-size: large;">How many of you are sitting there comfortably, looking at your "best friend" (the 4-legged one), wondering just which parts of your pooch bear the most resemblance to a wolf? There's no doubt that man's best friend has taken on a lot of different appearances and traits...however, genetic and archaeological evidence do provide a direct pathway from <em>Canis familiaris</em> (your "best friend") back to <em>Canis lupus</em> (the wolf).</span><br />
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<span style="font-family: "Times New Roman","serif"; font-size: 12pt; line-height: 115%;"><span style="font-size: x-large;"><strong><em>How Dogs Evolved Into 'Our Best Friends'<o:p></o:p></em></strong></span></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: "Times New Roman","serif"; font-size: 12pt; line-height: 115%;"><strong><em>Dogs have aided humans for thousands of years. Man's
best friend has provided protection, companionship and hunting assistance since
the days of the earliest human settlements.</em></strong></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: "Times New Roman","serif"; font-size: 12pt; line-height: 115%;"><strong><em>But how and when dogs evolved from wolves is a
matter of debate. Naturalist Mark Derr says there are two main schools of
thought: Some researchers believe that humans domesticated wolves who were
scrounging around their villages for trash. Others think that humans were
taking care of wolves from the time they were puppies — until enough puppies
were tamed and they somehow then evolved into dogs.</em></strong></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: "Times New Roman","serif"; font-size: 12pt; line-height: 115%;"><strong><em>"Neither explanation seems satisfactory,"
writes Derr in How the Dog Became the Dog — From Wolves to Our Best Friends.
"That is why there's no consensus."</em></strong></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: "Times New Roman","serif"; font-size: 12pt; line-height: 115%;"><strong><em>In his book, Derr explores how the relationship
between humans and wolves developed, and how that relationship then influenced
the physical evolution of wolves into dogs. He tells Fresh Air's Dave Davies
that he believes humans and wolves developed a close relationship after
recognizing themselves in each other while hunting on the trail of big game.</em></strong></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: "Times New Roman","serif"; font-size: 12pt; line-height: 115%;"><strong><em>"[That's when] they started traveling together,
and they've been at it ever since," he says. "The dog is a creation of
wolves and humans — of two equal beings that came together at a certain point
in history and have been together ever since."</em></strong></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: "Times New Roman","serif"; font-size: 12pt; line-height: 115%;"><strong><em>Derr says our ancestors likely followed behind
wolves as they hunted for game on the trail. Wolves, in turn, learned to wait
for scraps from bipedal hunters — who were far more accurate with their
rudimentary weapons than the wolves were with their teeth.</em></strong></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: "Times New Roman","serif"; font-size: 12pt; line-height: 115%;"><strong><em>The wolf could say, 'These people are far more
profligate hunters than we are. When they go out, they always leave a surplus.
It's easier for us to take the scraps that they have than to hunt,'" says
Derr. "Hunting is a highly energetic activity. And they could learn from
each other, just by observing each other."</em></strong></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: "Times New Roman","serif"; font-size: 12pt; line-height: 115%;"><strong><em>As humans and wolves began to work and live
together, physical features on the wolf began to change: Its skeletal frame
grew smaller, and its jaw shortened. Wolves that socialized well with humans
began to travel with them, and then were able to pass on their genes.</em></strong></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: "Times New Roman","serif"; font-size: 12pt; line-height: 115%;"><strong><em>"You had populations of dog-wolves that became
isolated, and in doing so, they began to inbreed," says Derr. "And
when you inbreed, you get genetic peculiarities that arise, and then those
peculiarities become part of the population. If they work or become popular or
have some function of beauty or utility, then they were kept by the humans —
and that population then spreads those through other populations through
breeding."</em></strong></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: "Times New Roman","serif"; font-size: 12pt; line-height: 115%;"><strong><em>Fossils of wolves and dogs have been found in early
hunting camps. In China, researchers have found evidence that some hunters were
raising millet to feed to their hunting companions.</em></strong></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: "Times New Roman","serif"; font-size: 12pt; line-height: 115%;"><strong><em>"This kept the dogs alive during times of thin
meat," says Derr. "When they weren't getting as much meat as they
wanted, they would feed [the dogs] millet. That would indicate that the early
dog was being used as a hunter, but also that it was highly valued."</em></strong></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: "Times New Roman","serif"; font-size: 12pt; line-height: 115%;"><strong><em><u>On puppies</u></em></strong></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: "Times New Roman","serif"; font-size: 12pt; line-height: 115%;"><strong><em>"There's something about them that makes us
friends with them. There are people who dislike dogs for sure. But dogs also
have an uncanny ability ... to walk in a room and pick out the one or two who
seem to dislike dogs the most and make friends with them. It's happened to me
with some of my dogs on numerous occasions. I think there's a deep — some
people call it love, I call it a 'deep empathy' between these two species that
resonates with each other in a way that makes them comprehensible to each
other, even though they don't speak the same language."</em></strong></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: "Times New Roman","serif"; font-size: 12pt; line-height: 115%;"><strong><em><u>On small dogs</u></em></strong></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin: 0in 0in 10pt;">
<span style="font-family: "Times New Roman","serif"; font-size: 12pt; line-height: 115%;"><strong><em>"There are some people who suggest that the
small dog, because of its size, was a curiosity, an easier dog to have as a
companion. In much of American history and even today, you'll find people who
have two dogs: a large dog, who is in the yard, and a small dog, whose job is
to kill rats and make a noise if somebody comes near, be a companion or
playmate for the children, or a guardian."</em></strong></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: "Times New Roman","serif"; font-size: 12pt; line-height: 115%;"><strong><em><u>On the cultural evolution of dogs</u></em></strong></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: "Times New Roman","serif"; font-size: 12pt; line-height: 115%;"><strong><em>"This is one of the reasons why people like to
speak of the dog as a separate species than the wolf, even though they're so
closely related. The dog lives with us in a way that wolves don't. It is
created by us in different ways."</em></strong></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: "Times New Roman","serif"; font-size: 12pt; line-height: 115%;"><strong><em><u>On breeding</u></em></strong></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: "Times New Roman","serif"; font-size: 12pt; line-height: 115%;"><strong><em>"I'll say it bluntly, and it has to be said:
Some of these breeds are incapable of giving birth without C-section. ... I
think that it certainly is wrong to produce animals that aren't healthy. It's
bad for the animal and bad for the people who take them into their homes and
find out that this dog they love is going to die at a very young age because of
an inheritable disease. ... We really should ask ourselves whether it is fair
to the animal to do that. I am of the opinion that it's not."</em></strong></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: "Times New Roman","serif"; font-size: 12pt; line-height: 115%;">Adapted from: <a href="http://www.npr.org/2011/11/08/142100653/how-dogs-evolved-into-our-best-friends?ps=cprs"><span style="color: blue;">http://www.npr.org/2011/11/08/142100653/how-dogs-evolved-into-our-best-friends?ps=cprs</span></a></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: "Times New Roman","serif"; font-size: 12pt; line-height: 115%;"></span><span style="font-family: "Times New Roman","serif"; font-size: 12pt; line-height: 115%;"><o:p> </o:p></span></div>
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<span lang="EN" style="color: black; font-family: "Times New Roman","serif"; line-height: 115%; mso-ansi-language: EN;"><strong><em><span style="font-size: x-large;">Dog:
man's best friend for over 33,000 years<o:p></o:p></span></em></strong></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin: 0in 0in 10pt; text-align: center;">
<span lang="EN" style="color: black; font-family: "Times New Roman","serif"; font-size: 12pt; line-height: 115%; mso-ansi-language: EN;"><strong><em><span style="font-size: large;">He's
been man's best friend for generations</span></em></strong></span></div>
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<span lang="EN" style="color: black; font-family: "Times New Roman","serif"; font-size: 12pt; line-height: 115%; mso-ansi-language: EN;"><strong><em>An
ancient dog skull found in Siberia and dating back 33,000 years presents some
of the oldest known evidence of dog domestication. </em></strong></span></div>
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<span lang="EN" style="color: black; font-family: "Times New Roman","serif"; font-size: 12pt; line-height: 115%; mso-ansi-language: EN;"><strong><em>When
combined with a similar find in Belgium, the two skulls indicate that the
domestication of dogs by humans occurred repeatedly throughout early human
history at different geographic locations -- rather than at a single
domestication event, as previously believed. </em></strong></span></div>
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<span lang="EN" style="color: black; font-family: "Times New Roman","serif"; font-size: 12pt; line-height: 115%; mso-ansi-language: EN;"><strong><em>"Both
the Belgian find and the Siberian find are domesticated species based on morphological
characteristics," said Greg Hodgins, a researcher at the University of
Arizona's Accelerator Mass Spectrometry Laboratory and co-author of a study
reporting the find. </em></strong></span></div>
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<span lang="EN" style="color: black; font-family: "Times New Roman","serif"; font-size: 12pt; line-height: 115%; mso-ansi-language: EN;"><strong><em>"Essentially,
wolves have long thin snouts and their teeth are not crowded, and domestication
results in this shortening of the snout and widening of the jaws and crowding
of the teeth." </em></strong></span></div>
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<span lang="EN" style="color: black; font-family: "Times New Roman","serif"; font-size: 12pt; line-height: 115%; mso-ansi-language: EN;"><strong><em>The
Altai Mountain skull is extraordinarily well preserved, Hodgins said, enabling
scientists to make multiple measurements of the skull, teeth and mandibles that
might not be possible on less well-preserved remains. "The argument that
it is domesticated is pretty solid," he said. "What's interesting is
that it doesn't appear to be an ancestor of modern dogs." </em></strong></span></div>
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<span lang="EN" style="color: black; font-family: "Times New Roman","serif"; font-size: 12pt; line-height: 115%; mso-ansi-language: EN;"><strong><em>At
33,000 years old, neither the Belgian nor the Siberian domesticated lineages
appear to have survived earth's last ice age. Still, they show, just how far
back our special relationship with our canine companions goes, Hodgins said. </em></strong></span></div>
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<span lang="EN" style="color: black; font-family: "Times New Roman","serif"; font-size: 12pt; line-height: 115%; mso-ansi-language: EN;"><strong><em>"The
interesting thing is that typically we think of domestication as being cows,
sheep and goats, things that produce food through meat or secondary
agricultural products such as milk, cheese and wool and things like that,"
he said. </em></strong></span></div>
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<span lang="EN" style="color: black; font-family: "Times New Roman","serif"; font-size: 12pt; line-height: 115%; mso-ansi-language: EN;"><strong><em>"Those
are different relationships than humans may have with dogs. The dogs are not
necessarily providing products or meat. They are probably providing protection,
companionship and perhaps helping on the hunt." </em></strong></span></div>
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<span lang="EN" style="color: black; font-family: "Times New Roman","serif"; font-size: 12pt; line-height: 115%; mso-ansi-language: EN;"><strong><em>"And
it's really interesting that this appears to have happened first out of all
human relationships with animals."</em></strong></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: "Times New Roman","serif"; font-size: 12pt; line-height: 115%;">Adapted from: <a href="http://www.foxnews.com/scitech/2012/01/24/dog-mans-best-friend-for-over-33000-years/"><span lang="EN" style="mso-ansi-language: EN;"><span style="color: blue;">http://www.foxnews.com/scitech/2012/01/24/dog-mans-best-friend-for-over-33000-years/</span></span></a></span></div>
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<span lang="EN" style="color: black; font-family: "Times New Roman","serif"; font-size: 12pt; line-height: 115%; mso-ansi-language: EN;">and….</span></div>
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<span lang="EN" style="color: black; font-family: "Times New Roman","serif"; font-size: 12pt; line-height: 115%; mso-ansi-language: EN;"><strong><em>To come
to the finding, a team led by Anna Druzhkova of the Russian Academy of Sciences
sequenced mitochondrial DNA taken from one of the skull’s teeth. This type of
genetic material comes from an organelle inside each cell called the
mitochondria, which has a distinct type of DNA that’s separate from the cell’s
normal chromosomes. For each individual, mitochondrial DNA is inherited
directly from one’s mother without any modifications and thus remains
relatively constant over generations, except for the gradual effect of
mutations. Similarities found in such DNA collected from various animals helps
scientists understand the evolutionary relationships between species. </em></strong></span></div>
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<span lang="EN" style="color: black; font-family: "Times New Roman","serif"; font-size: 12pt; line-height: 115%; mso-ansi-language: EN;"><strong><em>The
research team compared their sample of mitochondrial DNA from the ancient skull
with samples from 70 different modern breeds of dog, along with 30 different
wolf and 4 different coyote DNA samples. Their analysis found that the fossil’s
DNA didn’t match any of the other samples perfectly, but most closely resembled
the modern dog breeds, sharing the most similarities with Tibetan Mastiffs, Newfoundlands
and Siberian Huskies in particular. </em></strong></span></div>
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<span lang="EN" style="color: black; font-family: "Times New Roman","serif"; font-size: 12pt; line-height: 115%; mso-ansi-language: EN;"><strong><em>Scientists
know that dogs evolved as a result of the domestication of wolves, but the
specific time and location of this domestication is still poorly understood—and
this discovery further complicates that picture. Most experts agree that dogs
predate the invention of agriculture (which happened roughly 10,000 years ago),
but some say that domestication may have occurred as long as 100,000 years ago.</em></strong></span></div>
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<span lang="EN" style="color: black; font-family: "Times New Roman","serif"; font-size: 12pt; line-height: 115%; mso-ansi-language: EN;"><strong><em>This
finding—and the previous radiocarbon dating of the skull which established its
age—set that event to at least 33,000 years ago. However, dogs may have been
domesticated from wolves multiple times, and this breed of Siberian dog may
have actually gone extinct, rather than serving as an ancestor for modern dogs.
Archaeological evidence indicates that, with the onset of the last glacial
maximum (around 26,000 years ago), humans in this area of Siberia may have
stopped domesticating dogs, maybe due to food scarcity. In that case, an
independent domestication elsewhere may have led to the dogs of today. </em></strong></span></div>
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<span lang="EN" style="color: black; font-family: "Times New Roman","serif"; font-size: 12pt; line-height: 115%; mso-ansi-language: EN;"><strong><em>On the
other hand, domestication in the vicinity of the Altai Mountains, as evidenced
by this finding, may have led to the geographic spread of dogs elsewhere in
Asia and Europe, even if they died out in Siberia. Previously, many have
suggested that the first domestication occurred in the Middle East or East
Asia, but this skull could force scientists to rethink their theories. The
research team behind the analysis notes that finding more ancient dog remains
will help us in putting together the puzzle.</em></strong></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin: 0in 0in 10pt;">
<span style="font-family: "Times New Roman","serif"; font-size: 12pt; line-height: 115%;">Adapted from: <a href="http://blogs.smithsonianmag.com/science/2013/03/this-33000-year-old-skull-belonged-to-one-of-the-worlds-first-dogs/?utm_source=smithsoniantopic&utm_medium=email&utm_campaign=20130310-Weekender"><span lang="EN" style="mso-ansi-language: EN;"><span style="color: blue;">http://blogs.smithsonianmag.com/science/2013/03/this-33000-year-old-skull-belonged-to-one-of-the-worlds-first-dogs/?utm_source=smithsoniantopic&utm_medium=email&utm_campaign=20130310-Weekender</span></span></a></span></div>
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<span lang="EN" style="color: black; font-family: "Times New Roman","serif"; line-height: 115%; mso-ansi-language: EN;"><strong><em><span style="font-size: x-large;">Why
Dogs are More Like Humans Than Wolves</span></em></strong></span></div>
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<span lang="EN" style="color: black; font-family: "Times New Roman","serif"; font-size: 12pt; line-height: 115%; mso-ansi-language: EN;"><strong><em>Brian
Hare began studying dog intelligence as an undergraduate at Emory University in
the 1990s, after realizing that Oreo, his Labrador retriever, had a remarkable
ability. Unlike other animals, even chimpanzees, Oreo could interpret human
gestures, following a person’s gaze or a pointing finger. From early
experiments with the family dogs in his parents’ Atlanta garage, Hare went on
to found the Canine Cognition Center at Duke University. Now, in The Genius of
Dogs: How Dogs are Smarter than You Think, Hare and coauthor Vanessa Woods
detail recent research about man’s brilliant best friend. Not only do dogs
possess social intelligence far beyond that of their wolf ancestors, Hare says,
but in many ways they’re more like us than our own primate relatives. Hare is
also the lead scientist behind Dognition.com, a new website that offers pet
owners the opportunity to participate in a massive citizen science project—and
uncover the genius in their own precious pooches. </em></strong></span></div>
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<span lang="EN" style="color: black; font-family: "Times New Roman","serif"; font-size: 12pt; line-height: 115%; mso-ansi-language: EN;"><strong><em>What is
the secret to dogs’ intelligence? </em></strong></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin: 0in 0in 10pt;">
<span lang="EN" style="color: black; font-family: "Times New Roman","serif"; font-size: 12pt; line-height: 115%; mso-ansi-language: EN;"><strong><em>The
genius of dogs is that they use probably the most powerful tool on Earth to
solve problems—humans. At one point in wolf evolution, a group of wolves
decided to take advantage of humans, and they have been really successful
because of it. It’s probably not a surprise to people that dogs are socially
tuned-in to us. But I think what’s new is the understanding that this skill is
absolutely remarkable in the animal world. When you talk about survival of the
fittest, most people think nature is “red in tooth and claw.” But dogs domesticated
themselves through a natural process, where the less aggressive, most friendly,
tolerant individuals actually did much better. </em></strong></span></div>
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<span lang="EN" style="color: black; font-family: "Times New Roman","serif"; font-size: 12pt; line-height: 115%; mso-ansi-language: EN;"><strong><em>How has
the scientific understanding of dogs changed? </em></strong></span></div>
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<span lang="EN" style="color: black; font-family: "Times New Roman","serif"; font-size: 12pt; line-height: 115%; mso-ansi-language: EN;"><strong><em>We’ve
learned more in the past 10 years than in the previous 100 years. When
identifying intelligence in animals, what people are most interested in is
where animals make inferences. These are situations in which they can’t
actually perceive a solution, so they have to infer it spontaneously. If you
are going to find that kind of intelligence, you’re not going to find it in a
dog, or so it was thought. Scientists had theorized that dogs, through
domestication, have become dumbed-down, because they just sit around and take
scraps from us. What do they need to be smart about? The guess was animals like
a bonobo or a dolphin or other charismatic megafauna were where to look. But it
turns out in many ways dogs are more like us than even great apes. </em></strong></span></div>
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<span lang="EN" style="color: black; font-family: "Times New Roman","serif"; font-size: 12pt; line-height: 115%; mso-ansi-language: EN;"><strong><em>How are
they like us?</em></strong></span></div>
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<span lang="EN" style="color: black; font-family: "Times New Roman","serif"; font-size: 12pt; line-height: 115%; mso-ansi-language: EN;"><strong><em>Dogs
are the only species that have demonstrated that they can learn words in a
manner similar to a little kid. It’s not that other species that we think of as
being highly intelligent, like bonobos and dolphins, can’t become sophisticated
at communicating using symbols, but there’s some nice evidence that dogs are
using an inferential strategy, which takes advantage of what’s called the
principle of exclusion. They know that a number of objects are named or labeled
with a sound, and when a new one is introduced that they do not have a label
for, and they hear a new sound that they’ve never heard before, they infer that
the new sound must apply to this new object. That has only been observed in
human children before. That was a big shocker, and it’s been replicated. It
even gets crazier than that—several border collies are using what’s called the
principal of iconicity. You can show them a two-dimensional picture, and they
will then go fetch the object in the picture. That’s something people thought
only kids could do, and that it would only be in a linguistic species that that
would be possible.</em></strong></span></div>
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<span lang="EN" style="color: black; font-family: "Times New Roman","serif"; font-size: 12pt; line-height: 115%; mso-ansi-language: EN;"><strong><em>That’s
amazing, but it’s a small sample size—isn’t it possible these dogs were
outliers? </em></strong></span></div>
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<span lang="EN" style="color: black; font-family: "Times New Roman","serif"; font-size: 12pt; line-height: 115%; mso-ansi-language: EN;"><strong><em>We
don’t know. I don’t think it’s chance that the dogs that have demonstrated this
are border collies. But that is not to say that border collies are somehow the
most intelligent breed. All dogs are probably able to make the type of
inferences that the border collies are making. The question is, can they use
that exclusionary principle when learning words? It’s entirely possible that all
of our dogs have this hidden talent that we just don’t know how to take
advantage of. </em></strong></span></div>
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<span lang="EN" style="color: black; font-family: "Times New Roman","serif"; font-size: 12pt; line-height: 115%; mso-ansi-language: EN;"><strong><em>What
are some other new findings about dog intelligence? </em></strong></span></div>
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<span lang="EN" style="color: black; font-family: "Times New Roman","serif"; font-size: 12pt; line-height: 115%; mso-ansi-language: EN;"><strong><em>There’s
a lot of research into how dogs solve problems. For instance, in a new
experiment, a dog demonstrated opening a sliding door, using one of two
techniques. It turns out other dogs will copy the first dog and use that same
technique the very first time they open the door. That is not something that
most people would have expected. [A hundred years ago, British psychologist] C.
Lloyd Morgan was one of the first people to write about animal intelligence
from an experimental perspective. One of the great anecdotes he tells is about
how his dog Tony struggled to open a gate, and through trial and error, he slowly
learned a solution. It looked like Tony the terrier was a genius, but because
Morgan had watched the problem-solving develop, he knew that Tony didn’t
understand anything, that it was all chance trial and error. Morgan then
concluded that when you see animals doing intelligent things, you must consider
that there’s a very low-level mechanism that allowed them to solve the problem.
But the new finding is, if he had only shown Tony how to open the gate, Tony
could have learned almost immediately how to do it. You make the problem social
and dogs do fantastically.</em></strong></span></div>
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<span lang="EN" style="color: black; font-family: "Times New Roman","serif"; font-size: 12pt; line-height: 115%; mso-ansi-language: EN;"><strong><em>You
also cite studies that show dogs can be deceptive. How does that demonstrate
genius? </em></strong></span></div>
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<span lang="EN" style="color: black; font-family: "Times New Roman","serif"; font-size: 12pt; line-height: 115%; mso-ansi-language: EN;"><strong><em>Those
studies show that dogs are using information about what humans can see or hear
to make decisions about how to behave around us. In one study, dogs
spontaneously avoid retrieving food from a box with noisemakers when they have
been told not to eat it, [instead choosing to steal food from a box that a
human has demonstrated does not make noise]. This suggests they might be aware
of what we can and cannot hear. Similarly, a number of studies have shown that
dogs avoid misbehaving if you are watching them, but are more likely to act up
if you have your back turned, or even your eyes closed!</em></strong></span></div>
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<span lang="EN" style="color: black; font-family: "Times New Roman","serif"; font-size: 12pt; line-height: 115%; mso-ansi-language: EN;"><strong><em>So
there is such thing as a bad dog. But can this new science of dog cognition
help us train them better? </em></strong></span></div>
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<span lang="EN" style="color: black; font-family: "Times New Roman","serif"; font-size: 12pt; line-height: 115%; mso-ansi-language: EN;"><strong><em>No pun
intended, I don’t really have a dog in the fight about how to train dogs, but
it’s an important question. People love dogs, and they want to help their dogs
have a rich life, and they can do that by helping their dogs obey some simple
principles. But how do you get a dog to do that? One of the big schools of
thought is you have to really be an alpha dog. You have to make sure the dog
doesn’t think he can boss you around. That premise is probably based on some
faulty rationale, that dogs evolved from wolves, and wolves have a very strict
hierarchy. That’s a reasonable hypothesis, except that there’s one major
problem: dogs are not wolves. Looking at feral dogs, what people have found is
that they don’t have a strict hierarchy. It’s not that you follow the dominant
individual. With feral dogs, the leader is the individual that has the most
friendships in the group. It’s not about dominance. </em></strong></span></div>
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<span lang="EN" style="color: black; font-family: "Times New Roman","serif"; font-size: 12pt; line-height: 115%; mso-ansi-language: EN;"><strong><em>There’s
another school of training, which says that the more you practice the better
they’ll be at sitting, staying, listening to you, obeying, etc. But there are
studies that show that dogs that are trained less intensely actually learn
faster and retain the information they learn longer. If you force animals to
perform over and over, it actually makes a response less flexible.</em></strong></span></div>
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<span lang="EN" style="color: black; font-family: "Times New Roman","serif"; font-size: 12pt; line-height: 115%; mso-ansi-language: EN;"><strong><em>Here’s
a question that could get us in trouble. Are dogs smarter than cats? </em></strong></span></div>
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<span lang="EN" style="color: black; font-family: "Times New Roman","serif"; font-size: 12pt; line-height: 115%; mso-ansi-language: EN;"><strong><em>It’s a
very difficult question to answer in any meaningful way. I could ask you, which
is a better tool, a hammer or a screwdriver? They’re designed to do different
things. Compare the origins of these animals in the wild, their progenitors,
the wolf and the wild African cat. You have one that is an endurance runner, a
pack animal that relies on cooperation. You have another that is a relatively
asocial, stalking hunter that relies on stealth to be successful. These are
completely different social systems and ways of life, and evolution shaped
those minds to be really different because they do completely different things
in terms of how they make a living.</em></strong></span></div>
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<span lang="EN" style="color: black; font-family: "Times New Roman","serif"; font-size: 12pt; line-height: 115%; mso-ansi-language: EN;"><strong><em>Fair
enough. In addition to dog and cat partisans, I’m guessing that many pet owners
will have another response to your book: “There’s no way my dog is a genius. He
drinks out of the toilet and chases his own tail.” Would these people be wrong?</em></strong></span></div>
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<span lang="EN" style="color: black; font-family: "Times New Roman","serif"; font-size: 12pt; line-height: 115%; mso-ansi-language: EN;"><strong><em>Everybody
loves to talk about how amazing humans are as a species in terms of innovation
and technology. We’ve invented the Internet and the iPad, and we have an
International Space Station. Yes, as a species we’ve done that, but I can
assure you that if somebody said to me today, “You have to invent the next
iPad,” you might as well just shoot me. There’s also tremendous individual
variation in dogs. In the case of the dog that chases his own tail, that may be
a dog that the person thinks is a little bit on the dumb side, but there are
some domains of intelligence that people aren’t really thinking about. Just
because one individual dog isn’t particularly good at using gestures, for
example, it doesn’t mean that they’re not absolutely remarkable in their
memory, or that they can’t use your visual perspective to deceive you. One of
the things we’re trying to do in the book is change the conversation about what
is intelligence. A lot of people may find out, the dog that just chases his
tail, there’s actually a lot more there than they expected.</em></strong></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: "Times New Roman","serif"; font-size: 12pt; line-height: 115%;">Adapted from: <a href="http://www.smithsonianmag.com/ideas-innovations/Why-Dogs-are-More-Like-Humans-Than-Wolves-192083131.html?utm_source=smithsoniansciandnat&utm_medium=email&utm_campaign=201302-science"><span lang="EN" style="mso-ansi-language: EN;"><span style="color: blue;">http://www.smithsonianmag.com/ideas-innovations/Why-Dogs-are-More-Like-Humans-Than-Wolves-192083131.html?utm_source=smithsoniansciandnat&utm_medium=email&utm_campaign=201302-science</span></span></a></span><br />
<br />
<span style="font-size: large;">OK, now, be honest...how could anyone even think that either one of these cuties could have descended from a pack of wolves???</span><br />
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<span style="font-family: "Times New Roman","serif"; line-height: 115%;"><span style="font-size: large;">Any questions or comments should be sent to Helpful Buckeye at: </span><a href="mailto:dogcatvethelp@gmail.com"><span style="font-size: large;">dogcatvethelp@gmail.com</span></a><span style="font-size: large;"> or submitted at the "Comment" section at the end of this issue.</span></span></div>
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<em><span style="color: black;">~~The goal of this blog is to
provide general information and advice to help you be a better pet owner and to
have a more rewarding relationship with your pet. This blog does not intend to
replace the professional one-on-one care your pet receives from a practicing
veterinarian. When in doubt about your pet's health, always visit a
veterinarian.~~<o:p></o:p></span></em></o:p></span></div>
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Helpful Buckeyehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/18134633849820948837noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-16663019142577616.post-25957639642583589752013-04-14T23:00:00.000-07:002013-04-15T16:46:02.520-07:00DEATH BY NATURAL CAUSES<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
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<br />
<b style="mso-bidi-font-weight: normal;"><span style="font-size: large;"><em>“For
what is it to die but to stand naked in the wind and to melt into the sun? And
when the earth shall claim your limbs, then shall you truly dance.” ―</em> Kahlil
Gibran</span></b><br />
<br />
<strong><span style="font-size: x-large;">EOB-3....</span></strong><br />
<strong></strong><br />
<span style="font-size: large;">Death and dying have always been topics for endless conversation, mostly centered on their meaning. Almost as often, we talk about and search for the causes. Death by natural causes is usually a difficult concept for some to grasp, with all the disease, accidents, and violence that can lead to a death. It's really no different for the death of a pet. </span><br />
<span style="font-size: large;">
</span><br />
<b style="mso-bidi-font-weight: normal;"><span style="font-size: large;"><em>“Everyone’s life ends the same way.
It is only the details of how they lived and how they died that distinguish one
from another.”</em> ― Ernest Hemingway</span></b><br />
<b style="mso-bidi-font-weight: normal;"><span style="font-size: large;"><span style="font-size: small;"></span><o:p></o:p></span></b><br />
<br />
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<span style="font-family: "Times New Roman","serif"; font-size: 12pt; line-height: 115%;"><span style="font-size: x-large;"><strong><em>How Many Pets Die of Natural Causes?<o:p></o:p></em></strong></span></span></div>
<br />
<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin: 0in 0in 10pt;">
<span style="font-family: "Times New Roman","serif"; font-size: 12pt; line-height: 115%;"><strong><em>The “Irreverent Veterinarian”</em></strong></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin: 0in 0in 10pt;">
<span style="font-family: "Times New Roman","serif"; font-size: 12pt; line-height: 115%;"><strong><em>I have to admit – this is a peculiar question. The
editors of PetPlace.com asked me to put some thoughts down about..."How
Many Pets Die of Natural Causes?"</em></strong></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin: 0in 0in 10pt;">
<span style="font-family: "Times New Roman","serif"; font-size: 12pt; line-height: 115%;"><strong><em>At first I thought – sure – no problem, this is an
easy topic to write about. </em></strong></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: "Times New Roman","serif"; font-size: 12pt; line-height: 115%;"><strong><em>Then I really thought about it. The more I thought
about it – the more I realized that I was not certain of the answer. And...I
wasn't sure of the definition of "natural causes". So I looked it up.
</em></strong></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: "Times New Roman","serif"; font-size: 12pt; line-height: 115%;"><strong><em>It appears that I'm not alone in being uncertain of
the definition of "natural causes" as there is quite a lot written
about the topic and not all of it is in agreement. </em></strong></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: "Times New Roman","serif"; font-size: 12pt; line-height: 115%;"><strong><em>According to wickipedia.com, "In medicine,
death by natural causes is a loosely-defined term used by coroners describing
death when the cause of death was a naturally occurring disease process, or is
not apparent given medical history or circumstances."</em></strong></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: "Times New Roman","serif"; font-size: 12pt; line-height: 115%;"><strong><em>Based on this – if they cannot determine the cause
of death they call it natural causes. Hummm....</em></strong></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: "Times New Roman","serif"; font-size: 12pt; line-height: 115%;"><strong><em>This is what I believe "a pet dies of natural
causes" means. Death by natural causes is the death of a pet that has
lived a full life and dies of causes associated with a natural occurring
disease. The majority (but not all) of deaths by natural causes occur in old
age. However, a pet can have a genetic or congenital problems that also causes
a "natural" death. </em></strong></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: "Times New Roman","serif"; font-size: 12pt; line-height: 115%;"><strong><em><u>What is Not a Natural Cause</u></em></strong></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: "Times New Roman","serif"; font-size: 12pt; line-height: 115%;"><strong><em>So...a pet killed by a gunshot is not a natural
cause. A pet killed by being hit by a car is not a natural cause. Nor is a pet
that dies from bite wounds.</em></strong></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: "Times New Roman","serif"; font-size: 12pt; line-height: 115%;"><strong><em><u>What is a Natural Cause</u></em></strong></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin: 0in 0in 10pt;">
<span style="font-family: "Times New Roman","serif"; font-size: 12pt; line-height: 115%;"><strong><em>A pet that dies of cancer is a natural cause. A
15-year-old cat that dies of kidney failure is a natural cause. A 10-year-old
Great Dane that dies of heart disease – dies of natural cause.</em></strong></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: "Times New Roman","serif"; font-size: 12pt; line-height: 115%;"><strong><em><u>The Confusion</u></em></strong></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: "Times New Roman","serif"; font-size: 12pt; line-height: 115%;"><strong><em>How about a 2-year-old cat that acquires a
preventable infectious disease and dies before its time? Is that natural? I'm
not sure. Now I'm confused again. By definition – it is a natural cause. Even
though the cat has not lived a full life, it is an infection –that is a natural
disease that occurs.</em></strong></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: "Times New Roman","serif"; font-size: 12pt; line-height: 115%;"><strong><em>How about euthanasia? That is not a natural cause of
death. However it is often used to minimize the suffering time to a pet that is
already dying of natural causes. In other cases – healthy dogs are put to sleep
and euthanasia is speeding up a totally unnatural cause. </em></strong></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: "Times New Roman","serif"; font-size: 12pt; line-height: 115%;"><strong><em>Is a young dog hit by a car a natural death? He
didn't get to live a full life. </em></strong></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: "Times New Roman","serif"; font-size: 12pt; line-height: 115%;"><strong><em>My Final Thoughts – How Many Pets Die of Natural
Causes?</em></strong></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: "Times New Roman","serif"; font-size: 12pt; line-height: 115%;"><strong><em>It appears that I'm doing everything except
answering the question – "How Many Pets Die of Natural Causes"? First
– I've been spending all my time trying to figure out WHAT natural causes mean.
</em></strong></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin: 0in 0in 10pt;">
<span style="font-family: "Times New Roman","serif"; font-size: 12pt; line-height: 115%;"><strong><em>I needed to figure out what "Natural
Causes" are to come close to even giving you the answer. </em></strong></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: "Times New Roman","serif"; font-size: 12pt; line-height: 115%;"><strong><em>Another factor that affects this answer is how the
pet is cared for. Pets that are well cared for, vaccinated, fed a good diet
will more likely die of natural causes over a pet that is allowed to run free
and exposed to many unnatural dangers.</em></strong></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin: 0in 0in 10pt;">
<span style="font-family: "Times New Roman","serif"; font-size: 12pt; line-height: 115%;"><strong><em>This care (or lack of) also affects a pet's life
span. For example, outdoor only cats may have a life expectancy of less than 7
months. Indoor-outdoor cats have an average lifespan of approximately 3 to 7
years. Indoor only cats live longer, closer to 14 years.</em></strong></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin: 0in 0in 10pt;">
<span style="font-family: "Times New Roman","serif"; font-size: 12pt; line-height: 115%;"><strong><em>A good owner that provides good pet care that
includes nutrition, shelter and medical care help to prevent many unnatural
causes of death. Many unnatural causes of death causing dogs and cats to die at
a young age has to do with exposure to unnatural dangers such as toxins,
gunshot wounds, being hit by a car, etc. </em></strong></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin: 0in 0in 10pt;">
<span style="font-family: "Times New Roman","serif"; font-size: 12pt; line-height: 115%;"><strong><em>One consideration is what percentage of pets are
"owned" or cared for in the United States? Based on the numbers of
pets at the shelter and the percentage of owned pets, I would estimate that out
of all pets – approximately less than 30% are given the opportunity to die from
natural causes (the rest are euthanized in shelters or die traumatic deaths in
the outdoors). Even pets that are owned by decent owners who might not be able or willing to
treat treatable problems and elect euthanasia, will die an unnatural death. An example of this would be a
dog with a fractured leg that the owners are unwilling to treat and euthanize.
There are also many pets given up to shelters for behavioral problems such as
aggression or inappropriate urination and are then euthanized...an unnatural
death.</em></strong></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin: 0in 0in 10pt;">
<span style="font-family: "Times New Roman","serif"; font-size: 12pt; line-height: 115%;">Adapted from: <a href="http://www.petplace.com/dogs/the-irreverent-vet-speaks-out-how-many-pets-die-of-natural-causes/page1.aspx?utm_source=dogcrazynews&utm_medium=email&utm_campaign=dogtraffic&utm_content=DC-20130221-4-[T]&email=kfwash@aol.com"><span style="color: blue;">http://www.petplace.com/dogs/the-irreverent-vet-speaks-out-how-many-pets-die-of-natural-causes/page1.aspx?utm_source=dogcrazynews&utm_medium=email&utm_campaign=dogtraffic&utm_content=DC-20130221-4-[T]&email=kfwash@aol.com</span></a></span><br />
<span style="font-family: "Times New Roman","serif"; font-size: 12pt; line-height: 115%;"></span><br />
<span style="font-size: large;"><span style="font-family: "Times New Roman","serif"; line-height: 115%;"><o:p>While we're on the subject of death and dying, whether from natural or unnatural causes, it would be nice to have a better understanding of just what is going on. For a lot of people, Woody Allen probably expresses their feelings best: </o:p></span><span style="font-family: "Times New Roman","serif"; line-height: 115%;"><o:p><b style="mso-bidi-font-weight: normal;">"I'm not afraid of death; I just
don't want to be there when it happens."</b></o:p></span></span><br />
<span style="font-family: "Times New Roman","serif"; font-size: 12pt; line-height: 115%;"><o:p>
</o:p></span><br />
<span style="font-family: "Times New Roman","serif"; font-size: 12pt; line-height: 115%;"></span><br />
<span style="font-family: "Times New Roman","serif"; font-size: 12pt; line-height: 115%;"></span><br />
<span style="font-family: "Times New Roman","serif"; font-size: 12pt; line-height: 115%;"><div class="MsoNormal" style="margin: 0in 0in 10pt; text-align: center;">
<span style="font-family: "Times New Roman","serif"; font-size: 12pt; line-height: 115%;"><span style="font-size: x-large;"><strong><em></em></strong></span></span> </div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin: 0in 0in 10pt; text-align: center;">
<span style="font-family: "Times New Roman","serif"; font-size: 12pt; line-height: 115%;"><span style="font-size: x-large;"><strong><em>5 Things No One Ever Told You about Dying</em></strong></span> <o:p></o:p></span></div>
<br />
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<span style="font-family: "Times New Roman","serif"; font-size: 12pt; line-height: 115%;"><span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span><strong><em>I have
never met anyone who works closely with the dying who fears death and yet the
general public has an intense fear. This fear is brought about by the unknowing
- not knowing what it is like to die or see someone die and not knowing what
happens after death. We generally do not know how we ourselves will die and
many of us feel uncertain about what (and even if anything) happens after
death. Our perceptions and beliefs about dying come largely from external
sources whether that be the overly dramatic, sensationalized and inaccurate
portrayals of death in the media or religious teaching. Very few of us witness
natural death up close and even fewer still witness enough of death and dying
to see patterns.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span></em></strong></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin: 0in 0in 10pt;">
<span style="font-family: "Times New Roman","serif"; font-size: 12pt; line-height: 115%;"><strong><em><span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>At New
England Pet Hospice, we believe that knowledge is power.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>Knowing what comes next helps us prepare and
not be as fearful in the moment.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>My goal
in sharing these concepts with you is to let you know that what you may be
seeing is a normal, natural part of dying. It is not a crisis. It is not a sign
that your animal is suffering or that you are doing anything wrong. If we are
lucky enough to have a long life and die naturally, it will all happen to us
also.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span></em></strong></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin: 0in 0in 10pt;">
<span style="font-family: "Times New Roman","serif"; font-size: 12pt; line-height: 115%;"><strong><em><span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>PLEASE
NOTE: here we are talking only about natural, non-traumatic death.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>We are not talking about animals who have
suffered an accident, injury or curable illness.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>Keep in mind that although these concepts are
common, but not necessarily universal.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;">
</span>If you are disturbed by how your animal is acting or what he or she is
doing, please talk to your veterinarian.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;">
</span>Individual animals may vary and may require additional or other care to
keep them comfortable.</em></strong></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin: 0in 0in 10pt;">
<span style="font-family: "Times New Roman","serif"; font-size: 12pt; line-height: 115%;"><strong><em><span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>For this
post we are assuming that physical pain is well controlled by appropriate pain
medications.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>Pain should never be left
uncontrolled.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>As a hospice, we are
committed to effective, consistent pain relief and control.</em></strong></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin: 0in 0in 10pt;">
<span style="font-family: "Times New Roman","serif"; font-size: 12pt; line-height: 115%;"><strong><em><span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>1.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>Natural death is often a slow, rarely
dramatic process. Bodies shut down slowly, system by system. Bodies waste away.
Minds appear to come and go. This process may take days, weeks or even months.
It may seem interminable and it is quite normal to wish it would be over while
at the same time wishing your time together would never end. Try not to feel
guilty or disturbed by these conflicting feelings. </em></strong></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin: 0in 0in 10pt;">
<span style="font-family: "Times New Roman","serif"; font-size: 12pt; line-height: 115%;"><strong><em><span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>2. As you
go through the dying process, your world contracts. First perhaps to your
immediate neighborhood, then to your home, then a room and finally a bed. We
are all bedridden at some point in our final days. So are our animals. The fact
that your elderly cat does not or cannot leave her bed is not a sign of a
problem; it is a normal part of the dying process. In the final stages of
death, our world contracts even more, to what is inside us. Our bodies
themselves are more than we need. We recede to a quiet place inside to finish
our business with this world. The fact that your dog no longer lifts his head
and wags his tail when you enter the room is as normal as a 90 year old woman
who in her final time spends much of it sleeping. It does not mean nothing
important is happening; it means the work is internal. </em></strong></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin: 0in 0in 10pt;">
<span style="font-family: "Times New Roman","serif"; font-size: 12pt; line-height: 115%;"><strong><em><span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>3.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>We all lose control of our bladder and bowels
at the end of life. We enter the world as infants without that control and we
die that way as elders. The same is true for animals. They come into this world
relieving themselves when the need occurs and exit it the same way. Just as we
would not leave an infant or grandfather to sit in excrement, we must not do so
with our animals. There are many outstanding products and methods for managing
incontinence in our dying and elderly companions. </em></strong></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin: 0in 0in 10pt;">
<span style="font-family: "Times New Roman","serif"; font-size: 12pt; line-height: 115%;"><strong><em><span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>4.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>The dying do not need to eat.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>A body at the end if life has no need for
fuel. The digestive system is often one of the early systems to slow down.
Appetite decreases, food loses appeal, and we fill up quickly. At the very end
of life, we all stop eating and drinking also. Although hard for us to see,
this is perfectly normal. As nurturers, we want to feed the ones we love; it is
a natural instinct. Whether the patient is human or animal, we will often go to
great lengths to get the dying to eat - preparing special foods, coaxing,
begging, and even force feeding. Although loving, these attempts are often
detrimental to our loved ones. When the digestive system slows or stops
functioning, eating only causes gastrointestinal distress, which can be painful
and disruptive. When your terminally ill loved one stops wanting to eat, let
them stop. They will not starve to death, they will not have hunger, and they
will not suffer.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span></em></strong></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin: 0in 0in 10pt;">
<span style="font-family: "Times New Roman","serif"; font-size: 12pt; line-height: 115%;"><strong><em><span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>5.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>All bodies waste away at the end of life.
Long before we stop eating, our GI tract stops absorbing food well.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>The dying may perplex us by eating large
amounts and yet still losing weight. This is because they are not absorbing the
food. It simply goes right through them. If they want to eat and take pleasure
in it, there is no harm, but do not be disturbed if they seem to waste away
anyway. It can be quite disturbing to see a being at the end of life. They may
look like no more than a skeleton covered in skin. With humans, if we ever see
a person at this stage, they are usually covered with blankets or clothing and
we are unlikely to appreciate the severity of their body condition. With an
animal, the condition is right before your eyes every day. Others may even
think you are mistreating, neglecting or abusing your animal. It is a good idea
to get a letter from your veterinarian stating that the animal is in
hospice/end of life care and is not being abused, but rather cared for lovingly
and appropriately just in case anyone questions you. Know that even though your
care is excellent, this process is common, normal and not distressing for the
dying.<o:p></o:p></em></strong></span></div>
Adapted from:
<span style="font-family: "Times New Roman","serif"; font-size: 12pt; line-height: 115%; mso-ansi-language: EN-US; mso-bidi-language: AR-SA; mso-fareast-font-family: Calibri; mso-fareast-language: EN-US; mso-fareast-theme-font: minor-latin;"><a href="http://newenglandpethospice.blogspot.com/2011/03/5-things-no-one-ever-told-you-about.html"><span style="color: blue;">http://newenglandpethospice.blogspot.com/2011/03/5-things-no-one-ever-told-you-about.html</span></a>
</span><br />
<span style="font-family: "Times New Roman","serif"; font-size: 12pt; line-height: 115%; mso-ansi-language: EN-US; mso-bidi-language: AR-SA; mso-fareast-font-family: Calibri; mso-fareast-language: EN-US; mso-fareast-theme-font: minor-latin;"></span><br />
<span style="font-family: "Times New Roman","serif"; font-size: 12pt; line-height: 115%; mso-ansi-language: EN-US; mso-bidi-language: AR-SA; mso-fareast-font-family: Calibri; mso-fareast-language: EN-US; mso-fareast-theme-font: minor-latin;"><span style="font-size: large;">There's not much else to say at this point...except for this thought from Will Rogers:
</span></span><br />
<b style="mso-bidi-font-weight: normal;"><span style="font-size: large;"></span></b><br />
<b style="mso-bidi-font-weight: normal;"><span style="font-size: large;">“If there are no dogs in Heaven, then
when I die I want to go where they went.”</span> </b><br />
<br />
<span style="font-size: large;">Any comments or questions should be sent to Helpful Buckeye at: </span><a href="mailto:dogcatvethelp@gmail.com"><span style="font-size: large;">dogcatvethelp@gmail.com</span></a><span style="font-size: large;"> or submitted at the "Comments" section at the end of this issue.</span><br />
<span style="font-size: large;">
</span><br />
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<em><span style="color: black;"><span style="font-size: large;">~~The goal of this blog is to
provide general information and advice to help you be a better pet owner and to
have a more rewarding relationship with your pet. This blog does not intend to
replace the professional one-on-one care your pet receives from a practicing
veterinarian. When in doubt about your pet's health, always visit a
veterinarian.~~<o:p></o:p></span></span></em></div>
</span><br /></div>
<br />
<strong></strong><br />
<br />
<br />
<br />Helpful Buckeyehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/18134633849820948837noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-16663019142577616.post-38582739250545457302013-04-07T23:00:00.000-07:002013-04-10T05:24:17.241-07:00CONSIDERATIONS OF HOLISTIC MEDICINE<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhbxtlXxLNQfPYhI8z9vTjhVWpDMmv5O81InoNOfn0lkLfaXTaUoa4MhlfJ9sf37auG_8D3rkfkdTLYmB5lMsOvcFefpeVAn5h44SVDylurFImOXUZB5RUBDrqdMEcL-3l5Nh64g_O0-dk/s1600/Dog+Exam.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhbxtlXxLNQfPYhI8z9vTjhVWpDMmv5O81InoNOfn0lkLfaXTaUoa4MhlfJ9sf37auG_8D3rkfkdTLYmB5lMsOvcFefpeVAn5h44SVDylurFImOXUZB5RUBDrqdMEcL-3l5Nh64g_O0-dk/s1600/Dog+Exam.jpg" /></a></div>
<span style="font-size: large;"></span><br />
<strong><span style="font-size: x-large;">EOB-4....</span></strong><br />
<span style="font-size: large;"></span><br />
<span style="font-size: large;">Hardly a week goes by during which Helpful Buckeye does not receive an inquiry about some form of "alternative" medicine. As these approaches to human medicine have grown in popularity, so too have they gained interest among pet owners. Just as with any topic that lies out of the mainstream of interest, these approaches to medicine have met with curiosity, serious interest, questioning, and outright disbelief. </span><br />
<span style="font-size: large;"></span><br />
<span style="font-size: large;">Helpful Buckeye's goal this week is to take a closer look at these alternative forms of medicine and try to help you decide if they might help you and your pets.</span><br />
<br />
<br />
<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin: 0in 0in 10pt; text-align: center;">
<span style="font-family: "Times New Roman","serif"; font-size: 12pt; line-height: 115%;"><strong><em><span style="font-size: x-large;">Holistic Medicine Trends<o:p></o:p></span></em></strong></span></div>
<strong><em>
</em></strong><span style="font-family: "Times New Roman","serif"; font-size: 12pt; line-height: 115%;"><strong><em>By: Dr. Amy Wolff<o:p></o:p></em></strong></span><br />
<strong><em>
</em></strong><br />
<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin: 0in 0in 10pt;">
<span style="font-family: "Times New Roman","serif"; font-size: 12pt; line-height: 115%;"><strong><em>Holistic medicine is a controversial subject. There
are passionate opinions on both sides. Opponents claim that if
"alternative" treatments really worked, they would be more widely
accepted and many illnesses and ailments would have been cured long ago. This
side of the debate feels that herbs and medications are often used
inappropriately without adequate training and understanding of the potential
side effects or dangers and without scientific evidence that they actually work.
These treatments have not been thoroughly investigated nor tested for efficacy
or safety and in some cases may actually be harmful.</em></strong></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin: 0in 0in 10pt;">
<span style="font-family: "Times New Roman","serif"; font-size: 12pt; line-height: 115%;"><strong><em>Proponents feel that holistic treatments provide a
more "natural" way to heal the body in a world full of chemicals, preservatives
and synthetics. Many times, "alternative" treatments are used to
augment more traditional treatments and are not commonly used as the only
treatment. </em></strong></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin: 0in 0in 10pt;">
<span style="font-family: "Times New Roman","serif"; font-size: 12pt; line-height: 115%;"><strong><em>The final decision to add alternative treatments to
your pet's current regime should be decided between you and your veterinarian.
Remember, these treatments are best used in conjunction with traditional
medicine and should not be used to completely replace proven, effective
treatments. </em></strong></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin: 0in 0in 10pt;">
<span style="font-family: "Times New Roman","serif"; font-size: 12pt; line-height: 115%;"><strong><em>Just what does the term holistic really mean? The
word holistic means the body as a whole. With regard to holistic medicine, the
pet's environment, lifestyle, disease, relationship with the owner or other
pets, current medications as well as nutrition are taken into consideration
when determining the best treatment for the pet. Another term often used to
describe holistic medication is alternative treatments. Treatment options vary
and may include homeopathy, herbal medication, acupuncture or even nutritional
changes.</em></strong></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin: 0in 0in 10pt;">
<span style="font-family: "Times New Roman","serif"; font-size: 12pt; line-height: 115%;"><strong><em>Holistic medicine alternatives have become more commonplace
treatment options in veterinary medicine. The goal of holistic medicine is to
promote wellness, not just to treat the symptoms of a disease. It is most often
used to augment traditional medical therapy or surgery. </em></strong></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin: 0in 0in 10pt;">
<span style="font-family: "Times New Roman","serif"; font-size: 12pt; line-height: 115%;"><strong><em><u>Homeopathic Remedies</u></em></strong></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin: 0in 0in 10pt;">
<span style="font-family: "Times New Roman","serif"; font-size: 12pt; line-height: 115%;"><strong><em>Homeopathy is often misunderstood. It is not the
same as holistic nor is it the same as herbal treatment. The system of
homeopathy used today was originally developed by a German physician in the mid
1800s. The basic principle behind homeopathy is that "like cures like."
The primary concept of homeopathy is that medicine, plants, minerals, and drugs
that cause illness can also be used to cure the illness. Symptoms of illness
are thought to be the result of an internal imbalance.</em></strong></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin: 0in 0in 10pt;">
<span style="font-family: "Times New Roman","serif"; font-size: 12pt; line-height: 115%;"><strong><em>Homeopathic remedies include the use of plants,
vitamins, minerals and other natural substances to treat illness. Homeopathic
practitioners believe that homeopathic remedies contain vibrational energy
essences that work with the disease state and help heal the pet.</em></strong></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin: 0in 0in 10pt;">
<span style="font-family: "Times New Roman","serif"; font-size: 12pt; line-height: 115%;"><strong><em><u>Herbal Medicine</u></em></strong></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin: 0in 0in 10pt;">
<span style="font-family: "Times New Roman","serif"; font-size: 12pt; line-height: 115%;"><strong><em>The use of herbs for their medicinal value is an old
practice that has regained new interest. Rather than the use of drugs, which
can alter the body's natural immune defenses, these remedies are used to help
stimulate the body to heal itself. Often, herbs are used in conjunction with
traditional drugs to help heal an ill pet.</em></strong></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin: 0in 0in 10pt;">
<span style="font-family: "Times New Roman","serif"; font-size: 12pt; line-height: 115%;"><strong><em>Many of today's commonly used drugs were discovered
and isolated from plants. Taken in this purified and concentrated form, these
drugs are fast acting but often have potent and undesirable side effects. The
concept behind herbal remedies is to ingest an extract or dried form of a plant
known for its medicinal properties. </em></strong></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin: 0in 0in 10pt;">
<span style="font-family: "Times New Roman","serif"; font-size: 12pt; line-height: 115%;"><strong><em>Since the active compounds are present in smaller
concentrations, the desired effect is often achieved with minimal side effects.
Herbal medicines are available for a wide variety of problems and many people
feel they are providing safer more natural medicine for their pets. Not all
veterinarians dispense herbal medicines. If you are interested in supplementing
your pet's diet with any herb, vitamin or mineral, be sure to check with his
veterinarian first. Some pets may require smaller than recommended doses or be
on medications that can cause interactions.</em></strong></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin: 0in 0in 10pt;">
<span style="font-family: "Times New Roman","serif"; font-size: 12pt; line-height: 115%;"><strong><em>Some of the more commonly used herbal remedies
include:</em></strong></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin: 0in 0in 10pt;">
<span style="font-family: "Times New Roman","serif"; font-size: 12pt; line-height: 115%;"><strong><em>• Calendula for wound healing</em></strong></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin: 0in 0in 10pt;">
<span style="font-family: "Times New Roman","serif"; font-size: 12pt; line-height: 115%;"></span><span style="font-family: "Times New Roman","serif"; font-size: 12pt; line-height: 115%;"><strong><em>• Raspberry to help with pregnancy</em></strong></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin: 0in 0in 10pt;">
<span style="font-family: "Times New Roman","serif"; font-size: 12pt; line-height: 115%;"><strong><em>• Echinacea to stimulate the immune system</em></strong></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin: 0in 0in 10pt;">
<span style="font-family: "Times New Roman","serif"; font-size: 12pt; line-height: 115%;"><strong><em>• Milk thistle for liver disorders</em></strong></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin: 0in 0in 10pt;">
<span style="font-family: "Times New Roman","serif"; font-size: 12pt; line-height: 115%;"><strong><em>• Chamomile for wound healing and respiratory
diseases</em></strong></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin: 0in 0in 10pt;">
<span style="font-family: "Times New Roman","serif"; font-size: 12pt; line-height: 115%;"><strong><em>• Gingko to improve memory (mainly used in dogs)</em></strong></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin: 0in 0in 10pt;">
<span style="font-family: "Times New Roman","serif"; font-size: 12pt; line-height: 115%;"><strong><em>• Lavender to promote restful sleep</em></strong></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin: 0in 0in 10pt;">
<span style="font-family: "Times New Roman","serif"; font-size: 12pt; line-height: 115%;"><strong><em>• Oats to reduce itching - used in a bath</em></strong></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin: 0in 0in 10pt;">
<span style="font-family: "Times New Roman","serif"; font-size: 12pt; line-height: 115%;"><strong><em>• Yeast as a skin supplement and for diarrhea</em></strong></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin: 0in 0in 10pt;">
<span style="font-family: "Times New Roman","serif"; font-size: 12pt; line-height: 115%;"><strong><em>• Asian ginseng for low grade fevers</em></strong></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin: 0in 0in 10pt;">
<span style="font-family: "Times New Roman","serif"; font-size: 12pt; line-height: 115%;"><strong><em>• Flaxseed for constipation and irritable bowel
syndrome</em></strong></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin: 0in 0in 10pt;">
<span style="font-family: "Times New Roman","serif"; font-size: 12pt; line-height: 115%;"><strong><em>These should be treated as medications and not given
to your pet unless recommended by your veterinarian. </em></strong></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin: 0in 0in 10pt;">
<span style="font-family: "Times New Roman","serif"; font-size: 12pt; line-height: 115%;"><strong><em>Popular but not recommended:</em></strong></span><span style="font-family: "Times New Roman","serif"; font-size: 12pt; line-height: 115%;"><o:p><strong><em> </em></strong></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin: 0in 0in 10pt;">
<span style="font-family: "Times New Roman","serif"; font-size: 12pt; line-height: 115%;"><strong><em>• Garlic or onion - can result in anemia</em></strong></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin: 0in 0in 10pt;">
<span style="font-family: "Times New Roman","serif"; font-size: 12pt; line-height: 115%;"><strong><em>• White willow - used to reduce inflammation but
contains salicylates, which can be very irritating to the stomach, especially
in cats.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span></em></strong></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin: 0in 0in 10pt;">
<span style="font-family: "Times New Roman","serif"; font-size: 12pt; line-height: 115%;"><strong><em><u>Acupuncture, Acupressure and Massage</u></em></strong></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: "Times New Roman","serif"; font-size: 12pt; line-height: 115%;"><strong><em>As better health care and preventative medicine
increases the life span of your pet, sadly some dogs and cats will acquire
chronic diseases that may require periodic pain relief. Common examples of this
are osteoarthritis and degenerative joint diseases. Dogs especially may have
arthritis in hips, elbows, and spine that causes pain and limited activity as
the pet ages. Anti-inflammatories prescribed by your veterinarian may control
pain and inflammation but in some pets these drugs cause stomach upset and are
not well tolerated. These pets may benefit from acupuncture, acupressure or
massage to limit or relieve pain. Even pets treated with traditional
medications may also benefit from the added help acupuncture and massage may
provide.</em></strong></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: "Times New Roman","serif"; font-size: 12pt; line-height: 115%;"><strong><em>Acupuncture is an ancient Chinese method of pain
control that causes the release of natural pain-relieving chemicals by the
brain. The stimulus for the release of these substances is accomplished with
the use of fine needles placed in strategic locations on the body. It is
generally a non-painful procedure, and well tolerated by many pets. Acupuncture
is also thought to strengthen the body's immune system and help improve organ
function.</em></strong></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: "Times New Roman","serif"; font-size: 12pt; line-height: 115%;"><strong><em>Acupressure is a version of acupuncture, except that
in place of needles, firm pressure is applied to pain relief sites. The amount
of relief is generally less and of shorter duration than that of acupuncture.</em></strong></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: "Times New Roman","serif"; font-size: 12pt; line-height: 115%;"><strong><em>Physical massage is often beneficial in relieving
chronic pain or rehabilitating an injury. Your veterinarian can demonstrate how
to massage a sore limb or use range-of-motion exercises to increase
circulation, strength and flexibility. For pets with sore hips or elbows, these
joint exercises often extend your pet's activity and comfort level. The use of
heat or cold with massage may provide added benefit. For a more intense
massage, consider consulting a certified massage therapist. These animal loving
professionals are trained in the proper ways to massage and strengthen your
beloved companion. Ask your veterinarian for further advice on massage therapy.</em></strong></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: "Times New Roman","serif"; font-size: 12pt; line-height: 115%;"><strong><em><u>Nutrition</u></em></strong></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: "Times New Roman","serif"; font-size: 12pt; line-height: 115%;"><strong><em>Nutrition is an important part of maintaining
wellness in your pet. Some people feel that commercially prepared pet foods can
contain excessive preservatives and chemical. There are a variety of natural
pet foods available as well as some homemade diets. Be sure to ask your
veterinarian before switching your pet's diet. Homemade diets are not as easy
as they may seem. Consult with your veterinarian before making any changes.<o:p></o:p></em></strong></span></div>
Adapted from: <span style="font-family: "Times New Roman","serif"; font-size: 12pt; line-height: 115%; mso-ansi-language: EN-US; mso-bidi-language: AR-SA; mso-fareast-font-family: Calibri; mso-fareast-language: EN-US; mso-fareast-theme-font: minor-latin;"><a href="http://www.petplace.com/dogs/holistic-medicine-trends-2/page1.aspx"><span style="color: blue;">http://www.petplace.com/dogs/holistic-medicine-trends-2/page1.aspx</span></a></span><br />
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</span><br />
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<span style="font-family: "Times New Roman","serif"; font-size: 12pt; line-height: 115%;"><strong><em><span style="font-size: x-large;">Dangers of Holistic Medication in Pets</span></em></strong></span></div>
<strong><em>
</em></strong><br />
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<span style="font-family: "Times New Roman","serif"; font-size: 12pt; line-height: 115%;"><strong><em>The past several years has seen the growing
popularity of the "holistic" health movement. That trend is growing
in the world of veterinary care as well. Many pet owners seek to complement or
even replace traditional medical therapy with holistic treatments.</em></strong></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: "Times New Roman","serif"; font-size: 12pt; line-height: 115%;"><strong><em>Holistic medicine, including alternatives such as
herbal/organic supplements, aromatherapy, acupuncture, chiropractic and
massage, are believed to support the body's ability to heal itself. In some
cases, the implementation of these practices may improve your pet's condition.
However, the same caution must be taken when using these alternatives as you
would with conventional medicine. When used inappropriately, serious illness
can result. </em></strong></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: "Times New Roman","serif"; font-size: 12pt; line-height: 115%;"><strong><em>It is easy to be deceived by the words
"natural" and "organic." We believe that if a product is
natural then it must be safe to use. Remember that some extremely dangerous
substances are natural. Cyanide and arsenic are natural compounds but they are
certainly lethal. Care must be taken to understand the nature of any medicine
and its potential side effects.</em></strong></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: "Times New Roman","serif"; font-size: 12pt; line-height: 115%;"><strong><em><u>Natural Diets and Vitamin Supplementation</u></em></strong></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: "Times New Roman","serif"; font-size: 12pt; line-height: 115%;"><strong><em>Some pet owners formulate and cook their pet's diet
at home – for a number of reasons. Pets with special dietary needs are often
prescribed modified diets that may be unpalatable; home cooked meals may be
necessary. Commercial cat foods often contain flavorings, colors,
preservatives, protein or carbohydrate sources that are poorly tolerated in
some cats.</em></strong></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: "Times New Roman","serif"; font-size: 12pt; line-height: 115%;"><strong><em>In addition, many people have ethical and moral
objections to the ingredients used in commercial foods. They want to eliminate
the use of animals as food sources, so they feed themselves and their pets
vegetarian diets.</em></strong></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: "Times New Roman","serif"; font-size: 12pt; line-height: 115%;"><strong><em>A vegetarian diet for dogs, which are omnivores, is
possible. On the other hand, cats cannot thrive on a vegetarian diet. If you
are considering preparing your pet's food at home, ask your veterinarian for
recipes that give proper balance of nutrients and instructions for preparing
and storing it safely.</em></strong></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: "Times New Roman","serif"; font-size: 12pt; line-height: 115%;"><strong><em>There is also the general feeling that a home cooked
meal is just better. Ingredients, preparation and freshness can be controlled
when the diet is made at home. But it takes careful research to balance a home
cooked meal with the necessary amounts of nutrients. There are many components
to producing a well-balanced diet for your pet with regard to primary
nutrients, vitamins and minerals. A common feeling is that if vitamins and
minerals are helpful in small amounts, then large amounts must be better.
Caution must be used here since overdoses of vitamins can cause serious
illness.</em></strong></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: "Times New Roman","serif"; font-size: 12pt; line-height: 115%;"><strong><em>An overdose of vitamin A can cause bone disease;
large doses of vitamin C can cause stomach upsets; imbalances of vitamin D,
phosphorus and calcium can lead to bone demineralization. If you include raw
meats in the diet, bacterial contamination becomes a concern. The same goes for
raw eggs. Raw eggs also contain a protein that interferes with the absorption
of B vitamins.</em></strong></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: "Times New Roman","serif"; font-size: 12pt; line-height: 115%;"><strong><em><u>Herbal Supplements and Cures</u></em></strong></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: "Times New Roman","serif"; font-size: 12pt; line-height: 115%;"><strong><em>Medicines from plants have been used for thousands
of years to prevent or cure a wide variety of ailments. Most drugs used in
conventional medicine were originally derived from plant sources. While most
plants used have beneficial properties, it is important to remember that the
strength of the plant's active ingredients will vary with the variety of herb
and the horticultural practices used to grow them. </em></strong></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: "Times New Roman","serif"; font-size: 12pt; line-height: 115%;"><strong><em>Herbs can be sprayed with pesticides, fungicides or
fertilizers. They may have been fertilized with improperly prepared compost,
which can harbor harmful bacteria. They may produce more than one active
compound causing unwanted side effects. They may worsen some medical
conditions. There are no standards for quality control in production and
dosages. Many have vomiting and diarrhea as a side effect. Onion, garlic,
pennyroyal, and ginseng are a few of the commonly used herbal preparations that
can cause toxicities if used inappropriately. </em></strong></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: "Times New Roman","serif"; font-size: 12pt; line-height: 115%;"><strong><em>Even if your pet is taking an herbal supplement
without complication, make sure your veterinarian knows what you are giving.
Some herbs interfere with other health concerns and other medications.</em></strong></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: "Times New Roman","serif"; font-size: 12pt; line-height: 115%;"><strong><em><u>Acupuncture, Acupressure, Chiropractic and Massage</u></em></strong></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: "Times New Roman","serif"; font-size: 12pt; line-height: 115%;"><strong><em>Used as additions to pain relief and management of
chronic conditions, acupuncture, acupressure and chiropractic can be extremely
beneficial in making your pet more comfortable. Massage can be very helpful in
helping rehabilitate injury and increasing range of motion. The biggest concern
for this growing area of veterinary medicine is making sure you have qualified
professionals who have completed recognized courses of study in the treatment
of animal diseases. None of these procedures should be performed by novices. </em></strong></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: "Times New Roman","serif"; font-size: 12pt; line-height: 115%;"><strong><em>Before beginning any health care program, talk to
your pet's veterinarian. Many clinics are incorporating these strategies into
your pet's total health care picture. It is unwise to go to your local health
store and buy a variety of herbs and supplements to add to your pet's regimen
without this consultation. Any illness or sudden change in your pet's behavior
should have a medical check up before initiating any treatments, herbal or
otherwise.</em></strong></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: "Times New Roman","serif"; font-size: 12pt; line-height: 115%;">Adapted from: <a href="http://www.petplace.com/dogs/dangers-of-holistic-medication-in-dogs/page1.aspx?utm_source=dogcrazynews&utm_medium=email&utm_campaign=dogtraffic&utm_content=DC-20130218-2-%5bT%5d&email=kfwash@aol.com"><span style="color: blue;">http://www.petplace.com/dogs/dangers-of-holistic-medication-in-dogs/page1.aspx?utm_source=dogcrazynews&utm_medium=email&utm_campaign=dogtraffic&utm_content=DC-20130218-2-[T]&email=kfwash@aol.com</span></a><span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: "Times New Roman","serif"; font-size: 12pt; line-height: 115%;"><span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"></span><o:p>
</o:p></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: "Times New Roman","serif"; font-size: 12pt; line-height: 115%;"><strong><em><span style="font-size: x-large;">The Debate Over Alternative Therapies for Dogs<o:p></o:p></span></em></strong></span></div>
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<strong><em>
</em></strong><span style="font-family: "Times New Roman","serif"; font-size: 12pt; line-height: 115%;"><strong><em>Practitioners of acupuncture and chiropractic
undoubtedly believe in the merits of these treatments, as their swelling ranks
will attest. But how do traditional veterinary practitioners view them? The
jury is still out. </em></strong></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: "Times New Roman","serif"; font-size: 12pt; line-height: 115%;"><strong><em>John Bonagura, DVM, DACVIM, Editor of Kirk's Current
Veterinary Therapy, one of the leading "western medicine" veterinary
textbooks, suggests that before you embark on alternative treatments like
acupuncture or chiropractic that you should "first be certain you
understand the diagnosis." </em></strong></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: "Times New Roman","serif"; font-size: 12pt; line-height: 115%;"><strong><em>In Bonagura's opinion, "using acupuncture or
chiropractic to treat your pet for a serious infection, for an acute asthmatic
attack, for heart or kidney failure or for uncontrolled seizures is both
incorrect and dangerous, and most practitioners of alternative methods would
not recommend such therapy." </em></strong></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: "Times New Roman","serif"; font-size: 12pt; line-height: 115%;"><strong><em>Bonagura also advises that you "inquire about
the evidence that objectively recommends an alternative treatment." While
Bonagura believes that a number of alternative and complementary treatments
will prove valuable, he says, "it is very difficult to find objective, properly
conducted studies that assess the safety and effectiveness of these treatments
in pets with naturally occurring diseases." He adds, "because many
conditions improve with 'tincture of time,' the burden for all treatments -
whether for traditional medicine or an alternative therapy - should not be our
individual testimony, but carefully designed and unbiased clinical
studies." </em></strong></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: "Times New Roman","serif"; font-size: 12pt; line-height: 115%;"><strong><em>While veterinarians and pet owners await such
information, there is no doubt that complementary and alternative treatments
will continue to increase.</em></strong> </span></div>
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<span style="font-family: "Times New Roman","serif"; font-size: 12pt; line-height: 115%;">Adapted from: <a href="http://www.petplace.com/dogs/the-debate-over-alternative-therapies-for-dogs/page1.aspx"><span style="color: blue;">http://www.petplace.com/dogs/the-debate-over-alternative-therapies-for-dogs/page1.aspx</span></a></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: "Times New Roman","serif"; font-size: 12pt; line-height: 115%;"><span style="font-size: large;">As with anything else we do in life, whether it's
building a deck, planting a garden, investing your money, or taking care of
your pets, we are most likely to follow the "tried and true" methods
of previously successful efforts.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;">
</span>However, from time to time, there might be an innovative, alternative
idea that offers another way to be even more successful.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>If you have any thoughts of considering one
of these holistic approaches to taking care of your pets, Helpful Buckeye
suggests that you first talk it over with your veterinarian before pursuing it
any further.<o:p></o:p></span></span></div>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;">
<span style="color: black; font-size: 12pt; mso-ansi-language: EN-US; mso-bidi-language: AR-SA; mso-fareast-font-family: "Times New Roman"; mso-fareast-language: EN-US;"><strong>Please send any comments or questions to</strong>: <a href="mailto:dogcatvethelp@gmail.com">dogcatvethelp@gmail.com</a> </span></div>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;">
<span style="color: black; font-size: 12pt; mso-ansi-language: EN-US; mso-bidi-language: AR-SA; mso-fareast-font-family: "Times New Roman"; mso-fareast-language: EN-US;"><em></em></span> </div>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;">
<span style="color: black; font-size: 12pt; mso-ansi-language: EN-US; mso-bidi-language: AR-SA; mso-fareast-font-family: "Times New Roman"; mso-fareast-language: EN-US;"><em>~~The goal of this blog is to provide general
information and advice to help you be a better pet owner and to have a more
rewarding relationship with your pet. This blog does not intend to replace the
professional one-on-one care your pet receives from a practicing veterinarian.
When in doubt about your pet's health, always visit a veterinarian.~~</em></span></div>
Helpful Buckeyehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/18134633849820948837noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-16663019142577616.post-17984791652710538302013-03-31T23:00:00.000-07:002013-04-10T05:23:27.346-07:00RAW PET FOOD<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj_pJHQQezY817v3CTY4KHTBFUFMmfYiHZ_XQN8B4mF20R-el_xOCFuSNuenHhTJNuoYONQr6t98mV5fysSD536mRNDK5btqOKpjrWtuWNBk3617eqVPJynofXdx_wqNnR1TsHrvZvlKj0/s1600/Spring+Flowers.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="212" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj_pJHQQezY817v3CTY4KHTBFUFMmfYiHZ_XQN8B4mF20R-el_xOCFuSNuenHhTJNuoYONQr6t98mV5fysSD536mRNDK5btqOKpjrWtuWNBk3617eqVPJynofXdx_wqNnR1TsHrvZvlKj0/s320/Spring+Flowers.jpg" width="320" /></a></div>
<br />
<span style="font-size: large;">Flowers are welcome any part of the year as far as I'm concerned...however, the first batches of flowers in the spring carry a special message--that life has been renewed and there is hope for another good year.</span><br />
<br />
<span style="font-size: x-large;"><strong>EOB-5....</strong></span><br />
<strong></strong><br />
<span style="font-size: large;">It seems like every week that goes by brings with it a few more e-mails asking about either "all natural" or "raw food" diets for pets. Helpful Buckeye discussed these as part of the larger topic of dietary needs of dogs and cats last year, which you can find at:</span> <br />
<br />
<span style="font-family: "Times New Roman","serif"; font-size: 12pt; line-height: 115%; mso-ansi-language: EN-US; mso-bidi-language: AR-SA; mso-fareast-font-family: Calibri; mso-fareast-language: EN-US; mso-fareast-theme-font: minor-latin;"><a href="http://questionsondogsandcats.blogspot.com/search/label/Raw%20Diets"><span style="color: blue;">http://questionsondogsandcats.blogspot.com/search/label/Raw%20Diets</span></a> .</span><br />
<span style="font-family: "Times New Roman","serif"; font-size: 12pt; line-height: 115%; mso-ansi-language: EN-US; mso-bidi-language: AR-SA; mso-fareast-font-family: Calibri; mso-fareast-language: EN-US; mso-fareast-theme-font: minor-latin;"></span><br />
<span style="font-size: large;"><span style="font-family: "Times New Roman","serif"; line-height: 115%; mso-ansi-language: EN-US; mso-bidi-language: AR-SA; mso-fareast-font-family: Calibri; mso-fareast-language: EN-US; mso-fareast-theme-font: minor-latin;">However, in light of all the questions showing up in my e-mail, it </span><span style="font-family: "Times New Roman","serif"; line-height: 115%; mso-ansi-language: EN-US; mso-bidi-language: AR-SA; mso-fareast-font-family: Calibri; mso-fareast-language: EN-US; mso-fareast-theme-font: minor-latin;">appears that more space should be devoted to helping pet owners understand what is meant by those terms, all natural and raw, as well as the pros and cons of feeding your pets such a diet. Even if you're not particularly interested in feeding one of these diets to your pets, reading these articles will help you understand what's involved in case one of your friends brings up the subject.</span></span><br />
<span style="font-family: "Times New Roman","serif"; line-height: 115%; mso-ansi-language: EN-US; mso-bidi-language: AR-SA; mso-fareast-font-family: Calibri; mso-fareast-language: EN-US; mso-fareast-theme-font: minor-latin;"><span style="font-size: large;"></span></span><br />
<span style="font-family: "Times New Roman","serif"; line-height: 115%; mso-ansi-language: EN-US; mso-bidi-language: AR-SA; mso-fareast-font-family: Calibri; mso-fareast-language: EN-US; mso-fareast-theme-font: minor-latin;">
</span><br />
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<span style="font-family: "Times New Roman","serif"; font-size: 12pt; line-height: 115%;"><strong><em><span style="font-size: x-large;">Raw Dog Food: Dietary Concerns, Benefits, and</span></em></strong></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: "Times New Roman","serif"; font-size: 12pt; line-height: 115%;"><strong><em><span style="font-size: x-large;"> Risks<o:p></o:p></span></em></strong></span></div>
<div style="text-align: center;">
<strong><em>
</em></strong></div>
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<span style="font-family: "Times New Roman","serif"; font-size: 12pt; line-height: 115%;"><strong><em><span style="font-size: large;">Are raw food diets for dogs an ideal meal plan or a
dangerous</span></em></strong></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: "Times New Roman","serif"; font-size: 12pt; line-height: 115%;"><strong><em><span style="font-size: large;"> fad? Experts weigh in.</span></em></strong></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: "Times New Roman","serif"; font-size: 12pt; line-height: 115%;"></span><span style="font-family: "Times New Roman","serif"; font-size: 12pt; line-height: 115%;"></span><span style="font-family: "Times New Roman","serif"; font-size: 12pt; line-height: 115%;"></span><span style="font-family: "Times New Roman","serif"; font-size: 12pt; line-height: 115%;">
</span></div>
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<span style="font-family: "Times New Roman","serif"; font-size: 12pt; line-height: 115%;"><strong><em>By Elizabeth Lee</em></strong></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: "Times New Roman","serif"; font-size: 12pt; line-height: 115%;"><strong><em>Raw dog food diets are controversial. But the
popularity of the diets -- which emphasize raw meat, bones, fruits, and
vegetables -- is rising.</em></strong></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: "Times New Roman","serif"; font-size: 12pt; line-height: 115%;"><strong><em>Racing greyhounds and sled dogs have long eaten raw
food diets. Extending those feeding practices to the family pet is a more
recent idea, proposed in 1993 by Australian veterinarian Ian Billinghurst. He
called his feeding suggestions the BARF diet, an acronym that stands for Bones
and Raw Food, or Biologically Appropriate Raw Food.</em></strong></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: "Times New Roman","serif"; font-size: 12pt; line-height: 115%;"><strong><em>Billinghurst suggested that adult dogs would thrive
on an evolutionary diet based on what canines ate before they became
domesticated: Raw, meaty bones and vegetable scraps. Grain-based commercial pet
foods, he contended, were harmful to a dog’s health.</em></strong></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: "Times New Roman","serif"; font-size: 12pt; line-height: 115%;"><strong><em>Many mainstream veterinarians disagree, as does the
FDA. The risks of raw diets have been documented in several studies published
in veterinary journals.</em></strong></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: "Times New Roman","serif"; font-size: 12pt; line-height: 115%;"><strong><em><u>Potential benefits of the raw dog food diet that
supporters tout include:</u></em></strong></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: "Times New Roman","serif"; font-size: 12pt; line-height: 115%;"><strong><em>Shinier coats</em></strong></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: "Times New Roman","serif"; font-size: 12pt; line-height: 115%;"><strong><em>Healthier skin</em></strong></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: "Times New Roman","serif"; font-size: 12pt; line-height: 115%;"><strong><em>Cleaner teeth</em></strong></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: "Times New Roman","serif"; font-size: 12pt; line-height: 115%;"><strong><em>Higher energy levels</em></strong></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: "Times New Roman","serif"; font-size: 12pt; line-height: 115%;"><strong><em>Smaller stools</em></strong></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: "Times New Roman","serif"; font-size: 12pt; line-height: 115%;"><strong><em><u>Potential risks include:</u></em></strong></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: "Times New Roman","serif"; font-size: 12pt; line-height: 115%;"><strong><em>Threats to human and dog health from bacteria in raw
meat</em></strong></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: "Times New Roman","serif"; font-size: 12pt; line-height: 115%;"><strong><em>An unbalanced diet that may damage the health of
dogs if given for an extended period</em></strong></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: "Times New Roman","serif"; font-size: 12pt; line-height: 115%;"><strong><em>Potential for whole bones to choke an animal, break
teeth or cause an internal puncture.</em></strong></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: "Times New Roman","serif"; font-size: 12pt; line-height: 115%;"><strong><em>Since Billinghurst’s book, Give Your Dog a Bone, was
published, several other types of raw dog food diets have emerged, including
commercially processed raw food diets that are frozen or freeze-dried and
combination diets that use blends of grains, vegetables, and vitamins that are
mixed with raw meat purchased by the owner at the grocery store.</em></strong></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: "Times New Roman","serif"; font-size: 12pt; line-height: 115%;"><strong><em>Raw dog food recipes and meal suggestions are
readily found online and in books. Interest from pet owners continues to grow,
with the widespread recall of melamine-contaminated pet food in 2007 bringing
in new followers.</em></strong></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: "Times New Roman","serif"; font-size: 12pt; line-height: 115%;"><strong><em><u>Raw dog food diet: What it is</u></em></strong></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: "Times New Roman","serif"; font-size: 12pt; line-height: 115%;"><strong><em>A raw dog food diet typically consists of:</em></strong></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: "Times New Roman","serif"; font-size: 12pt; line-height: 115%;"><strong><em>Muscle meat, often still on the bone</em></strong></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: "Times New Roman","serif"; font-size: 12pt; line-height: 115%;"><strong><em>Bones, either whole or ground</em></strong></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: "Times New Roman","serif"; font-size: 12pt; line-height: 115%;"><strong><em>Organ meats such as livers and kidneys</em></strong></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: "Times New Roman","serif"; font-size: 12pt; line-height: 115%;"><strong><em>Raw eggs</em></strong></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: "Times New Roman","serif"; font-size: 12pt; line-height: 115%;"><strong><em>Vegetables like broccoli, spinach, and celery</em></strong></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: "Times New Roman","serif"; font-size: 12pt; line-height: 115%;"><strong><em>Apples or other fruit</em></strong></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: "Times New Roman","serif"; font-size: 12pt; line-height: 115%;"><strong><em>Some dairy, such as yogurt</em></strong></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: "Times New Roman","serif"; font-size: 12pt; line-height: 115%;"><strong><em>“For most animals, it’s more beneficial than
processed foods,” says Doug Knueven, DVM, of the Beaver Animal Clinic in
Beaver, Pa.</em></strong></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: "Times New Roman","serif"; font-size: 12pt; line-height: 115%;"><strong><em>Knueven specializes in holistic medicine and also
consults for Nature’s Variety, a Lincoln, Neb.-based manufacturer of frozen raw
food diets as well as cooked dry and canned foods.</em></strong></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: "Times New Roman","serif"; font-size: 12pt; line-height: 115%;"><strong><em>Barbara Benjamin-Creel of Marietta started giving
raw food to her three dogs after Scooter, a German Shepherd, was diagnosed with
cancer. The diet change came too late to help Scooter, she says, but the other
dogs are thriving after two years on raw dog food. The 11-year-old dogs seem
more energetic, and one with chronic digestive problems tolerates the raw diet
better.</em></strong></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: "Times New Roman","serif"; font-size: 12pt; line-height: 115%;"><strong><em>“The change in the coat was pretty immediate,”
Benjamin-Creel says. “Also, their breath was much better.”</em></strong></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: "Times New Roman","serif"; font-size: 12pt; line-height: 115%;"><strong><em>Benjamin-Creel makes the food herself, giving yogurt
in the morning and raw ground pork, turkey, or beef mixed with some rice in the
evening. To cut costs, she stocks up on ground meat when it’s on sale. “It’s
not cheap,” she says, “but I think we’ve avoided a lot of old-age issues.”</em></strong></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: "Times New Roman","serif"; font-size: 12pt; line-height: 115%;"><strong><em>The cost of a raw dog food diet varies with the ingredients
used and how it is prepared. For a 30-pound dog, a one-day supply of one
variety of a frozen, commercially available raw chicken diet costs about $2.50;
others may range up to $5 a day. A super-premium, commercial dry dog food costs
about $1</em></strong></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: "Times New Roman","serif"; font-size: 12pt; line-height: 115%;"><strong><em><u>Raw Dog Food Diet: What the research shows</u></em></strong></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: "Times New Roman","serif"; font-size: 12pt; line-height: 115%;"><strong><em>Lisa M. Freeman, DVM, PhD, headed an evaluation of
raw dog food diets published in the Journal of the American Veterinary
Association in 2001. She cautions pet owners against them, saying that many dog
owners are choosing raw diets based on online myths and scare tactics about
commercial pet food.</em></strong></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: "Times New Roman","serif"; font-size: 12pt; line-height: 115%;"><strong><em>For pet owners who want to avoid commercial food,
Freeman advises a cooked homemade diet designed by a nutritionist certified by
the American College of Veterinary Nutrition.</em></strong></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: "Times New Roman","serif"; font-size: 12pt; line-height: 115%;"><strong><em>Freeman, a nutrition professor at the Cummings
School of Veterinary Medicine at Tufts University, says that many of the
benefits attributed to a raw food diet for dogs, such as a shinier coat,
instead are the result of the high fat composition of the typical raw diet.
High-fat commercial foods that would produce the same effect are available, she
notes, without the risk of an unbalanced diet. Supplements can also be used as
an alternative to increasing fat in the diet.</em></strong></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: "Times New Roman","serif"; font-size: 12pt; line-height: 115%;"><strong><em>The evaluation looked at five raw diets, three
homemade and two commercially available. All had nutritional deficiencies or
excesses that could cause serious health problems when given long term,
according to the report.</em></strong></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: "Times New Roman","serif"; font-size: 12pt; line-height: 115%;"><strong><em>Joseph Wakshlag, DVM, PhD, has seen those problems
appear in some dogs as poor coats, bad skin, or weak bones. Too little fat
means a bad coat; but too much fat and not enough protein can cause mild
anemia, says Wakshlag, an assistant professor of clinical nutrition at Cornell
University College of Veterinary Medicine.</em></strong></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: "Times New Roman","serif"; font-size: 12pt; line-height: 115%;"><strong><em>Wakshlag -- who accepts some research funding from
Nestle Purina PetCare -- says homemade raw diets also may lack enough calcium
and phosphorous, causing bone fractures and dental problems. Depending on the
quality of the diet, the calcium or phosphorus may also be difficult to
properly digest, even if present in adequate amounts.</em></strong></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: "Times New Roman","serif"; font-size: 12pt; line-height: 115%;"><strong><em>Studies of raw pet food also have shown bacterial
contamination. The FDA issued suggestions in 2004 for manufacturing raw pet
food more safely, citing concern about the possibility of health risks to
owners from handling the meat. A 2006 study of 20 commercially available raw
meat diets found that 7.1% contained a type of salmonella. E. coli bacteria was
found in 59.6% of raw meat diets. These bacteria can also be shed in the feces,
leading to a potential source of human exposure and infection.</em></strong></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: "Times New Roman","serif"; font-size: 12pt; line-height: 115%;"><strong><em>The study also sampled four canned and dry dog
foods. It found E. coli in all of the commercially processed, cooked foods
during one of the four sampling periods, and in one brand of dry food during
another sampling period.</em></strong></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: "Times New Roman","serif"; font-size: 12pt; line-height: 115%;"><strong><em>Supporters of raw dog food diets are quick to point
out that commercially processed pet foods can contain harmful bacteria, as can
raw meat offered for human consumption.</em></strong></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: "Times New Roman","serif"; font-size: 12pt; line-height: 115%;"><strong><em>“The whole concern about bad bacteria is overblown,”
Knueven says. “When people are feeding a raw diet they know it’s not sterile,
and they’re more careful about washing their hands. Feeding a raw meat diet is
no different than cooking chicken for the family ... you have to clean up the
counter and your knife.”</em></strong></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: "Times New Roman","serif"; font-size: 12pt; line-height: 115%;"><strong><em>The FDA guidance document also suggested that
manufacturers address typical nutrition problems in a raw-meat diet, including
making sure it contained enough calcium and phosphorous, important for bone
health. Raw-meat diets high in liver also may supply too much vitamin A, which
can lead to vitamin A toxicity if fed for an extended period.</em></strong></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: "Times New Roman","serif"; font-size: 12pt; line-height: 115%;"><strong><em>Even veterinarians like Knueven who support raw dog
food diets say that they’re not appropriate for all dogs. Because the diets are
typically high in protein, they aren’t appropriate for dogs with late-stage
kidney or severe liver failure.</em></strong></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: "Times New Roman","serif"; font-size: 12pt; line-height: 115%;"><strong><em>He recommends that dogs with pancreatitis or other
digestive issues start with a cooked, homemade diet and clear up problems
before switching to raw. Dogs with cancer, on chemotherapy, or dogs with other
immunosuppressive diseases also should not eat raw food. And puppies aren’t
good candidates, either.</em></strong></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: "Times New Roman","serif"; font-size: 12pt; line-height: 115%;"><strong><em>“The only place I’ve seen a problem with this diet
is puppies,” Knueven says. “If you don’t get the calcium and phosphorous ratio
right, you can have bone deformities and growth issues.”<o:p></o:p></em></strong></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin: 0in 0in 10pt; text-align: left;">
Adapted from: <span style="font-family: "Times New Roman","serif"; font-size: 12pt; line-height: 115%; mso-ansi-language: EN-US; mso-bidi-language: AR-SA; mso-fareast-font-family: Calibri; mso-fareast-language: EN-US; mso-fareast-theme-font: minor-latin;"><a href="http://pets.webmd.com/dogs/guide/raw-dog-food-dietary-concerns-benefits-and-risks"><span style="color: blue;">http://pets.webmd.com/dogs/guide/raw-dog-food-dietary-concerns-benefits-and-risks</span></a></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin: 0in 0in 10pt; text-align: left;">
<span style="font-family: "Times New Roman","serif"; line-height: 115%; mso-ansi-language: EN-US; mso-bidi-language: AR-SA; mso-fareast-font-family: Calibri; mso-fareast-language: EN-US; mso-fareast-theme-font: minor-latin;"><span style="font-size: large;">Bear in mind as you read these articles that "research" can be a questionable commodity, in that you need to know that its source is a reputable entity. With the Internet being what it is today, anyone can publish anything they want to and someone else will take it as gospel. Moving on....</span></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: "Times New Roman","serif"; font-size: 12pt; line-height: 115%; mso-ansi-language: EN-US; mso-bidi-language: AR-SA; mso-fareast-font-family: Calibri; mso-fareast-language: EN-US; mso-fareast-theme-font: minor-latin;">
</span></div>
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<span style="font-family: "Times New Roman","serif"; font-size: 12pt; line-height: 115%;"><strong><em><span style="font-size: x-large;">Pros & Cons To The Raw Pet Food Diet: Is It
</span></em></strong></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: "Times New Roman","serif"; font-size: 12pt; line-height: 115%;"><strong><em><span style="font-size: x-large;">Worth It?<o:p></o:p></span></em></strong></span></div>
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</div>
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<span style="font-family: "Times New Roman","serif"; font-size: 12pt; line-height: 115%;"><strong><em>Like all our loved ones, we want what’s best for our
pets. That includes what they eat. It’s estimated that we spent $20 billion on
pet food last year. </em></strong></span><span style="font-family: "Times New Roman","serif"; font-size: 12pt; line-height: 115%;"><strong><em>According to market research, more owners are making
the switch to raw foods. </em></strong></span><span style="font-family: "Times New Roman","serif"; font-size: 12pt; line-height: 115%;"><strong><em>Big retailers, like Target and Petco are even
stocking it on store shelves. </em></strong></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin: 0in 0in 10pt;">
<span style="font-family: "Times New Roman","serif"; font-size: 12pt; line-height: 115%;"><strong><em>Many owners report better eating habits, fewer
allergies, shinier coats, healthier teeth and fewer trips to the vet. </em></strong></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: "Times New Roman","serif"; font-size: 12pt; line-height: 115%;"><strong><em>Woody’s Pet Food Deli in south Minneapolis is seeing
a surge in the diet’s popularity. </em></strong></span><span style="font-family: "Times New Roman","serif"; font-size: 12pt; line-height: 115%;"><strong><em>“We get new customers every day,” said Liz Cummiskey
with Woody’s Pet Food Deli. </em></strong></span><span style="font-family: "Times New Roman","serif"; font-size: 12pt; line-height: 115%;"><strong><em>The idea is dogs and cats eat a more natural diet.
Just like wild animals hunt prey and eat it. “The bones are ground up really
fine and we use the whole animal,” Cummiskey said. “It truly is a natural
balance of bone to muscle meat.”</em></strong></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: "Times New Roman","serif"; font-size: 12pt; line-height: 115%;"><strong><em>The food must meet standards for being balanced and
complete for the animal, but veterinarians worry consumers might expose
themselves to germs. </em></strong></span><span style="font-family: "Times New Roman","serif"; font-size: 12pt; line-height: 115%;"><strong><em>“It has the potential health risks to the pets and
to the people in the household,” said Dr. Julie Churchill with the University
of Minnesota. </em></strong></span><span style="font-family: "Times New Roman","serif"; font-size: 12pt; line-height: 115%;"><strong><em>She says bacteria like E. coli and Salmonella can be
found in the food, but most packages don’t warn owners.</em></strong></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: "Times New Roman","serif"; font-size: 12pt; line-height: 115%;"><strong><em>In a recent University of Minnesota study, the
department looked at 60 raw meat diets available at stores in the Twin Cities.
Seven percent of them tested positive for salmonella. </em></strong></span><span style="font-family: "Times New Roman","serif"; font-size: 12pt; line-height: 115%;"><strong><em>“They look fine and healthy on the outside, they
look like they’re doing well, but they could be putting others at risk or they
themselves could get sick,” Churchill said. </em></strong></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: "Times New Roman","serif"; font-size: 12pt; line-height: 115%;"><strong><em>The diet is also more expensive than regular dog
food. </em></strong></span><span style="font-family: "Times New Roman","serif"; font-size: 12pt; line-height: 115%;"><strong><em>Most bags of kibble run about a dollar per pound. </em></strong></span><span style="font-family: "Times New Roman","serif"; font-size: 12pt; line-height: 115%;"><strong><em>Places like Woody’s charge anywhere from $7 to
almost $30 for five pounds of food. </em></strong></span><span style="font-family: "Times New Roman","serif"; font-size: 12pt; line-height: 115%;"><strong><em>Target charges around $13 for six pounds. At Petco,
it’ll cost you $63 for a five and a half pound bag. </em></strong></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: "Times New Roman","serif"; font-size: 12pt; line-height: 115%;"><strong><em>As a believer, Annie Wiegers, says she guards
against the risks. </em></strong></span><span style="font-family: "Times New Roman","serif"; font-size: 12pt; line-height: 115%;"><strong><em>“We put it on a separate plate for him and then put
that plate in the dishwasher,” Wiegers said. </em></strong></span><span style="font-family: "Times New Roman","serif"; font-size: 12pt; line-height: 115%;"><strong><em>She thinks it’s worth every penny. </em></strong></span><span style="font-family: "Times New Roman","serif"; font-size: 12pt; line-height: 115%;"><strong><em>“We try to eat as organic and raw and healthy as we
can and he’s just part of the family, so we want to do that for him, too,”
Wiegers said. </em></strong></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin: 0in 0in 10pt;">
<span style="font-family: "Times New Roman","serif"; font-size: 12pt; line-height: 115%;"><strong><em>Not everyone is sold.</em></strong></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin: 0in 0in 10pt;">
<span style="font-family: "Times New Roman","serif"; font-size: 12pt; line-height: 115%;"><strong><em>“I am unwilling to take the risk when I know there’s
no nutritional advantage,” Churchill said. </em></strong></span><span style="font-family: "Times New Roman","serif"; font-size: 12pt; line-height: 115%;"><strong><em>Churchill wants you to think about this before
making the switch — Wild animals, like wolves, who eat raw only live about six
years. </em></strong></span><span style="font-family: "Times New Roman","serif"; font-size: 12pt; line-height: 115%;"><strong><em>She also says most diet switches with dry food can
give you the same results of a raw diet, so check with your vet before shopping
for any new food.</em></strong></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin: 0in 0in 10pt;">
<span style="font-family: "Times New Roman","serif"; font-size: 12pt; line-height: 115%;">Adapted from: <a href="http://minnesota.cbslocal.com/2013/02/06/pros-cons-to-the-raw-pet-food-diet-is-it-worth-it/"><span style="color: blue;">http://minnesota.cbslocal.com/2013/02/06/pros-cons-to-the-raw-pet-food-diet-is-it-worth-it/</span></a></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin: 0in 0in 10pt;">
<span style="font-family: "Times New Roman","serif"; font-size: 12pt; line-height: 115%;">
</span></div>
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<span style="font-family: "Times New Roman","serif"; font-size: 12pt; line-height: 115%;"><span style="font-size: x-large;"><strong><em>THE RAW PET FOOD DIET DEBATE<o:p></o:p></em></strong></span></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin: 0in 0in 10pt;">
<span style="font-family: "Times New Roman","serif"; font-size: 12pt; line-height: 115%;"><strong><em>by: Alison McNeilly, Colorado State University, Public Health Graduate
Student</em></strong></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin: 0in 0in 10pt;">
<span style="font-family: "Times New Roman","serif"; font-size: 12pt; line-height: 115%;"><strong><em>The concern for food safety is becoming greater and
greater and includes the diets of our four-legged friends in the family unit.
With the recent issues involving melamine and Salmonella contamination in
commercial pet foods, many owners are looking to alternative diets. Some
breeders recommend “raw diets,” claiming they are more nutritious than dry food
and carry a wealth of benefits. These diets consist of raw food, including
vegetables, grains, meat, and bones. These diets can be purchased commercially
in a frozen form or created at home.</em></strong></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin: 0in 0in 10pt;">
<span style="font-family: "Times New Roman","serif"; font-size: 12pt; line-height: 115%;"><strong><em>There has been limited research conducted on either
the costs or benefits of such diets, so there is skepticism about their use for
companion animals. There are many inherent risks of raw diets that may affect
the long and short term health of the animal, the health of the owner(s), and
those who come in contact with the pet or waste from the pet. These risks
include lack of adequate nutrition, problems associated with ingesting bones,
and the presence of bacteria. Studies have found that the nutritional value of
raw diets, both commercial and homemade, are lacking. Pets fed these diets on a
long term basis could experience nutrient deficiencies and detrimental health
effects. One recommendation is to add fruits and vegetables to a quality
commercial non-raw diet to provide a more “organic” experience for your pet.
Many raw diets include the bones associated with the meat products. Bones in a
pet’s diet have been reported to cause intestinal obstruction, perforation,
gastroenteritis and fractured teeth. These may lead to extreme discomfort, surgery,
or death. </em></strong></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin: 0in 0in 10pt;">
<span style="font-family: "Times New Roman","serif"; font-size: 12pt; line-height: 115%;"><strong><em>Another serious risk posed by feeding a raw diet is
that of bacterial contamination. This factor can be harmful to the pet and also
to the humans who come in contact with the pet through feeding or cleaning. Raw
food diets have been found to contain high levels of bacteria including
Escherichia coli, Salmonella spp, Clostridium perfringens, C. difficile and
Staphylococcus aureus. These bacteria can cause illness and diarrhea in both
the pet and humans that come in contact with the food or the feces of the
animal. There is special concern for the young, elderly, or immune-suppressed.
Human contact with the bacteria in these pet foods generally occurs during meal
preparation. Surfaces and utensils are likely to be contaminated and much care
must be taken to avoid cross contamination throughout the kitchen. Also, pet
dishes must be thoroughly cleaned after each feeding. It is important to remove
any uneaten portions immediately to avoid additional bacterial growth. Another
source of contamination comes from the feces of the pet. It has been shown that
bacteria consumed through raw pet diets may be shed in the feces by the animal for 7-11 days
after consumption. This poses a risk in cleaning up after the pet and the
potential for small children to come in contact with fecal matter containing
bacteria.</em></strong></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: "Times New Roman","serif"; font-size: 12pt; line-height: 115%;"><strong><em>If you are considering a raw diet for your pet, it
is extremely important to follow recommended hygiene guidelines to protect
yourself and your family from harmful bacteria that may be present in this type
of diet. Sanitize all surfaces and utensils used to prepare the meal and remove
leftovers promptly. Without research supporting increased benefits of feeding a
raw food diet, are the potential increased risks really worth it? Just cook it!</em></strong></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: "Times New Roman","serif"; font-size: 12pt; line-height: 115%;"><strong><em>...and, of course, be sure to talk it over with your veterinarian prior to make the change.</em></strong></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: "Times New Roman","serif"; font-size: 12pt; line-height: 115%;">Adapted from: <a href="http://www.ext.colostate.edu/safefood/newsltr/v14n1s07.html"><span style="color: blue;">http://www.ext.colostate.edu/safefood/newsltr/v14n1s07.html</span></a></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: "Times New Roman","serif"; line-height: 115%;"><span style="font-size: large;">Any questions or comments should be sent to Helpful Buckeye at: </span><a href="mailto:dogcatvethelp@gmail.com"><span style="font-size: large;">dogcatvethelp@gmail.com</span></a><span style="font-size: large;"> or submitted in the "Comments" section at the end of this issue.</span></span></div>
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<em><span style="color: black;">~~The goal of this blog is to
provide general information and advice to help you be a better pet owner and to
have a more rewarding relationship with your pet. This blog does not intend to
replace the professional one-on-one care your pet receives from a practicing
veterinarian. When in doubt about your pet's health, always visit a
veterinarian.~~</span></em></div>
Helpful Buckeyehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/18134633849820948837noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-16663019142577616.post-44668597235041231972013-03-24T23:00:00.000-07:002013-03-31T07:51:39.437-07:00WHAT NOT TO DO AT THE VET'S OFFICE<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
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<strong><span style="font-size: x-large;">EOB-6....</span></strong><br />
<br />
<span style="font-size: large;">We all are familiar with "Pet Peeves"...things that, for one reason or another, go against our grain and bother us. For an interesting way of looking at this concept from a different point of view, Helpful Buckeye would like to discuss things that pet owners do when visiting their veterinarian that may or may not be bothersome to the veterinarian and his/her staff. Granted, we're always reminded that the "customer is always right" and, therefore, can do no wrong. However, a pet owner visiting their veterinarian is obviously there for help and advice concerning their pet...and a cordial, informative conversation will be more likely to benefit all concerned parties. </span><br />
<span style="font-size: large;"></span><br />
<span style="font-size: large;">Let's look at some "Vet Peeves":</span><br />
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<span style="font-family: "Times New Roman","serif"; font-size: 12pt; line-height: 115%;"><strong><span style="font-size: x-large;"><em>Vet Peeves<o:p></o:p></em></span></strong></span></div>
<span style="font-family: "Times New Roman","serif"; font-size: 12pt; line-height: 115%;">by Victoria Schade</span><br />
<span style="font-family: "Times New Roman","serif"; font-size: 12pt; line-height: 115%;"></span><br />
<span style="font-family: "Times New Roman","serif"; font-size: 12pt; line-height: 115%;"><strong><em>I stopped by to visit my friends at a local vet
office today and we got to chatting about patient do’s and don’ts. I asked them
if they had any human client pet peeves, and wouldn’t you know it, the
floodgates opened wide. My veterinarian friends and their vet techs offered up
an impressive list of bothersome traits. Think you might have peeved your vet?
Here’s your chance to find out. Ladies and Gentlemen, may I present the Top Ten
Vet Peeves List: </em></strong></span>
<strong><em>
</em></strong><br />
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<span style="font-family: "Times New Roman","serif"; font-size: 12pt; line-height: 115%;"><strong><em></em></strong></span><br />
<span style="font-family: "Times New Roman","serif"; font-size: 12pt; line-height: 115%;"><strong><em>1. Letting your pet greet other pets in the waiting
room without permission. The waiting area in most vet offices is typically
small and filled with agitated animals. Sure, your pup is just there for a nail
trim, but the dog two seats over is dealing with a serious case of diarrhea and
the discomfort that comes with it. He doesn’t want a face full of puppy, and
he’ll make that very clear. With his teeth. </em></strong></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: "Times New Roman","serif"; font-size: 12pt; line-height: 115%;"><strong><em>2. Extendible leashes in the waiting room. Tight
space + sick animals + 15 feet of freedom = a big mess. Flexible leashes turn
an already stressful room into a potential battle zone. See number 1. </em></strong></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: "Times New Roman","serif"; font-size: 12pt; line-height: 115%;"><strong><em>3. Laughing when your dog bites the veterinarian.
Really? People actually do this? The vets assured me that it happens – often –
and that the laughter is usually accompanied by the person saying “Oh, what did
that big bad vet do to you, Fido?” Yeah, the vets ain’t laughing with you. </em></strong></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: "Times New Roman","serif"; font-size: 12pt; line-height: 115%;"><strong><em>4. Praising your dog as he growls. The vet office is
bound to evoke some unusual canine reactions, but growling and surliness are
serious business and need to be treated as such. Telling Fido “It’s OK sweetie,
it’s OK!” as he growls at the vet tech is not a sound strategy. </em></strong></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: "Times New Roman","serif"; font-size: 12pt; line-height: 115%;"><strong><em>5. Mentioning your pet’s sensitive areas after the
fact. “Fido bit you? Oh, I should have told you that he hates to have his feet
examined.” Too late, and thanks for the bleeding wounds. </em></strong></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: "Times New Roman","serif"; font-size: 12pt; line-height: 115%;"><strong><em>6. Giving your child a pet as a “gift”. We’ve
covered this one too, folks. Pets aren’t presents. </em></strong></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: "Times New Roman","serif"; font-size: 12pt; line-height: 115%;"><strong><em>7. New puppy, no money. New puppy parenthood comes
with boatloads of responsibilities, and a yacht-load of bills. Vets can’t
understand the sticker-shock expressed by their new puppy clients. Thorough
research, that oft neglected step of getting a dog, would have left little
doubt as to the high costs associated with puppyhood. </em></strong></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: "Times New Roman","serif"; font-size: 12pt; line-height: 115%;"><strong><em>8. Forcing the vet to give you a breast exam as she
examines your pet. Clingy pet parents, beware: if you can’t surrender your pet
to the vet for examination, be prepared for accidental chest grazes and gropes.
The exam table is there for a reason. Put your pet on it and let your vet do
her job. </em></strong></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: "Times New Roman","serif"; font-size: 12pt; line-height: 115%;"><strong><em>9. “Doctor, the treatment you suggested didn’t work
…” “ …Um, no I didn’t finish the pain meds. Or the antibiotics. But why is he
still sick?” </em></strong></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: "Times New Roman","serif"; font-size: 12pt; line-height: 115%;"><strong><em>10. Not researching your breed. (Amen, my
veterinarian brothers and sisters, I’m with you on this one.) You wanted a
small dog so you got a Jack Russell. Any JRT owners care to comment on just how
“small” the breed really is? You’re a starving college student and you got an
English Bulldog because you like how they look. What happens when the breed’s
far-too-common genetic defects start surfacing, and the vet bills pile up? When
I meet with new clients I’ll often ask why they selected a certain breed. (The
correct answer begins with “I did a ton of research and…”) When I hear “I just
wanted a pretty dog,” I want to head for the hills. Did you recognize yourself
on this list? It’s never too late to add a New Year resolution … why not vow to
be a better patient and make your vet’s job a little easier?<o:p></o:p></em></strong></span></div>
Adapted from: <span style="font-family: "Times New Roman","serif"; font-size: 12pt; line-height: 115%; mso-ansi-language: EN-US; mso-bidi-language: AR-SA; mso-fareast-font-family: Calibri; mso-fareast-language: EN-US; mso-fareast-theme-font: minor-latin;"><a href="http://www.petside.com/article/vet-peeves"><span style="color: blue;">http://www.petside.com/article/vet-peeves</span></a></span><br />
</span><br />
<br />
<span style="font-size: large;">...See anything on that list that looks familiar??? Might you be an offender on some of them?</span><br />
<span style="font-size: large;"></span><br />
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<span style="font-family: "Times New Roman","serif"; font-size: 12pt; line-height: 115%;"><span style="font-size: x-large;"><strong><em>"Vet Peeves": What We Do Wrong at the
Vet's</em></strong></span></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: "Times New Roman","serif"; font-size: 12pt; line-height: 115%;"><span style="font-size: x-large;"><strong><em> Office<o:p></o:p></em></strong></span></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: "Times New Roman","serif"; font-size: 12pt; line-height: 115%;"><strong><em>by Victoria Schade</em></strong></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: "Times New Roman","serif"; font-size: 12pt; line-height: 115%;"><strong><em>I compiled what I thought was an exhaustive top 10
list of “vet peeves” (the things that we do wrong in and around the exam room
at the veterinarian) back in 2008. During a recent disastrous appointment at
the vet with Olive I discovered that I might be one of the peevers (more on my
embarrassing experience later), so I decided to revisit the “vet peeves”
concept and see what else might be missing from my original list. After some
coaxing, an honest veterinary technician and veterinarian weighed in with the
things that we do to make their jobs more difficult. </em></strong></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: "Times New Roman","serif"; font-size: 12pt; line-height: 115%;"><strong><em>1. Everything that relates to restraining your
animal. </em></strong></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: "Times New Roman","serif"; font-size: 12pt; line-height: 115%;"><strong><em>Restraint is probably the most unpleasant part of a
vet visit for both you and your animal, and based on the feedback I received,
it can be equally unpleasant for the techs and vets doing it. When it comes to
restraint it’s important that we all take a deep breath and take a step back,
literally. Hovering near your dog as she’s being restrained (guilty as
charged), handling your dog during restraint (guilty as charged), getting in
the way of the person trying to restrain your animal, and touching the vet tech
or veterinarian as she’s trying to hold on all make the process that much more
difficult. As much as you want to comfort your dog during this scary time,
understand that it will probably go faster if you let the professionals do
their jobs. </em></strong></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: "Times New Roman","serif"; font-size: 12pt; line-height: 115%;"><strong><em>2. Not paying attention when discussing
post-treatment care.</em></strong></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: "Times New Roman","serif"; font-size: 12pt; line-height: 115%;"><strong><em>It’s dumbfounding to me that people zone out when it
comes to the most important part of a vet visit: what you have to do once you
leave the office in order to make or keep your dog healthy. The vet tech told
me about a person who wouldn’t stop watching the TV in the waiting room while
she was relaying complicated dosing instructions. Maybe the dog was paying
attention? </em></strong></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: "Times New Roman","serif"; font-size: 12pt; line-height: 115%;"><strong><em>3. Animals that are poorly groomed or neglected.</em></strong></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: "Times New Roman","serif"; font-size: 12pt; line-height: 115%;"><strong><em>You can try to keep secrets from your vet, but some
of them are written all over your animal. The dogs with long curled over nails,
or mats so tight that they have to be cut out convey that you’re denying your
dog the basic care that he deserves. One poor cat came into the office with a
rump impacted with enough fur and dried on fecal matter that the poor thing
couldn’t even defecate. </em></strong></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: "Times New Roman","serif"; font-size: 12pt; line-height: 115%;"><strong><em>4. People who walk in without an appointment and
demand immediate care.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span></em></strong></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: "Times New Roman","serif"; font-size: 12pt; line-height: 115%;"><strong><em>Now, we’re not talking about emergency situations
here. People actually show up and expect a well-run office to screech to a halt
in order to accommodate their needs. Would you try this at your primary care
physician’s office? Probably not. Though I didn’t chat with the front desk
staff, I’m sure that this is one of their big vet peeves too.</em></strong></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: "Times New Roman","serif"; font-size: 12pt; line-height: 115%;"><strong><em>5. Arriving late for an appointment. </em></strong></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: "Times New Roman","serif"; font-size: 12pt; line-height: 115%;"><strong><em>This one is common sense, but it still happens often
enough to warrant a mention. Diagnosing accurately takes time, and if you show
up late you not only risk a rushed appointment, you also inconvenience everyone
who has an appointment after you. If we’re being completely honest here, MY vet
peeve is that I always show up on time but wind up waiting 15 to 20 minutes
before we’re seen. I’m guessing that the two peeves are related.</em></strong></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: "Times New Roman","serif"; font-size: 12pt; line-height: 115%;"><strong><em>6. Getting insulted if you’re asked to leave the
room.</em></strong></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: "Times New Roman","serif"; font-size: 12pt; line-height: 115%;"><strong><em>Sometimes pets react better when their person isn’t
standing right beside them, so if the staff asks you to step outside, go with
it. Keep in mind that they’re not going to hurt your dog (this assumption is
another vet peeve), they just want to perform the procedure as quickly and
efficiently as possible. If you’re worried about what’s happening to your
animal when you’re not in the room it might be worthwhile to ask yourself why,
and consider finding a facility that you trust completely.</em></strong></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: "Times New Roman","serif"; font-size: 12pt; line-height: 115%;"><strong><em>I hang my head in shame, as I know that I’m now a
frequent peever. After a 20-year history of perfect canine patients, I’m living
with a very unruly one. Olive’s handling issues escalated in dramatic fashion
when we had to do a blood draw last week, so I’m going to be working hard to
avoid being one of those people my veterinarian dreads seeing. Hopefully this
list will help you do the same!</em></strong></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: "Times New Roman","serif"; font-size: 12pt; line-height: 115%;"><strong><em>Victoria Schade has been a dog trainer for over
eleven years.<o:p></o:p></em></strong></span></div>
Adapted from: <span style="font-family: "Times New Roman","serif"; font-size: 12pt; line-height: 115%; mso-ansi-language: EN-US; mso-bidi-language: AR-SA; mso-fareast-font-family: Calibri; mso-fareast-language: EN-US; mso-fareast-theme-font: minor-latin;"><a href="http://www.petside.com/article/vet-peeves-what-we-do-wrong-veterinarian-office"><span style="color: blue;">http://www.petside.com/article/vet-peeves-what-we-do-wrong-veterinarian-office</span></a></span><br />
<span style="font-family: "Times New Roman","serif"; font-size: 12pt; line-height: 115%; mso-ansi-language: EN-US; mso-bidi-language: AR-SA; mso-fareast-font-family: Calibri; mso-fareast-language: EN-US; mso-fareast-theme-font: minor-latin;"></span><br />
<span style="font-family: "Times New Roman","serif"; font-size: small; line-height: 115%; mso-ansi-language: EN-US; mso-bidi-language: AR-SA; mso-fareast-font-family: Calibri; mso-fareast-language: EN-US; mso-fareast-theme-font: minor-latin;">Helpful Buckeye would like to emphasize that there isn't usually an antagonistic relationship between a veterinarian and pet owner. If a pet owner feels that such is the case, they will most likely decide to visit another veterinary hospital where they feel more comfortable. However, many of these "Vet Peeves" don't necessarily involve antagonism, but rather a certain amount of inconsideration and inattentiveness on the part of the pet owner. If any of these apply to you, perhaps now is the time to re-evaluate how you prepare for your next visit to the veterinarian.</span><br />
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<span style="font-family: "Times New Roman","serif"; font-size: small; line-height: 115%; mso-ansi-language: EN-US; mso-bidi-language: AR-SA; mso-fareast-font-family: Calibri; mso-fareast-language: EN-US; mso-fareast-theme-font: minor-latin;">Just to show that all is not lost during the visit to the veterinary hospital, consider the following snippets of conversation during a normal pet examination:</span><br />
<span style="font-family: "Times New Roman","serif"; font-size: 12pt; line-height: 115%; mso-ansi-language: EN-US; mso-bidi-language: AR-SA; mso-fareast-font-family: Calibri; mso-fareast-language: EN-US; mso-fareast-theme-font: minor-latin;"></span><br />
<span style="font-family: "Times New Roman","serif"; font-size: 12pt; line-height: 115%; mso-ansi-language: EN-US; mso-bidi-language: AR-SA; mso-fareast-font-family: Calibri; mso-fareast-language: EN-US; mso-fareast-theme-font: minor-latin;">
</span><br />
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<span style="font-family: "Times New Roman","serif"; font-size: 12pt; line-height: 115%;"><span style="font-size: x-large;"><strong><em>Did They Really Say That?<o:p></o:p></em></strong></span></span></div>
<br />
<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin: 0in 0in 10pt;">
<span style="font-family: "Times New Roman","serif"; font-size: 12pt; line-height: 115%;"><strong><em>Dr. Ken Tudor</em></strong></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin: 0in 0in 10pt;">
<span style="font-family: "Times New Roman","serif"; font-size: 12pt; line-height: 115%;"><strong><em>As with all professions, veterinary clients and
customers are capable of saying some outrageously hilarious things. </em></strong></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: "Times New Roman","serif"; font-size: 12pt; line-height: 115%;"><strong><em>I think veterinary staffs get an inordinate amount
of these experiences owing to the large numbers of owners that have such
limited understanding of basic animal biology. I am sure my nursing and medical
doctor colleagues share many of the same hysterical moments with each other.
Today I want to be less serious about pet health and nutrition and share some
of my funny experiences. </em></strong></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin: 0in 0in 10pt;">
<span style="font-family: "Times New Roman","serif"; font-size: 12pt; line-height: 115%;"><strong><em>No. 1</em></strong></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: "Times New Roman","serif"; font-size: 12pt; line-height: 115%;"><strong><em>Ms. W had to euthanize her dog for acute
irreversible kidney failure. Our hospital policy is to make a clay imprint of
the pet’s paw and provide the imprint and a lock of fur to the owner prior to
final care of the remains. In this case the owner elected to have the remains
of her pet cremated. When she returned to the hospital to retrieve her pet’s
ashes she asked if we could make her a second paw imprint for her sister, who
was also very close to the deceased dog. </em></strong></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin: 0in 0in 10pt;">
<span style="font-family: "Times New Roman","serif"; font-size: 12pt; line-height: 115%;"><strong><em>Kudos to the staff! They treated the situation very
delicately, rather than hysterically, and explained the impossibility of such a
request. </em></strong></span></div>
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi1KL0-4Dvz4MGBFIhA9T5ogxsKKKGqsFcHHPKgRG-TbhfPC9xBLUUddbArZukShcTgjjvYdQvCCrQ8xUJeb06MR6N3d-6k4aJdiLG_Cn5JVAW1Y8WuqzjhZWdBa0L5MqRz6Mm83x52LP4/s1600/head+scratcher.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="200" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi1KL0-4Dvz4MGBFIhA9T5ogxsKKKGqsFcHHPKgRG-TbhfPC9xBLUUddbArZukShcTgjjvYdQvCCrQ8xUJeb06MR6N3d-6k4aJdiLG_Cn5JVAW1Y8WuqzjhZWdBa0L5MqRz6Mm83x52LP4/s200/head+scratcher.jpg" width="120" /></a><span style="font-family: "Times New Roman","serif"; font-size: 12pt; line-height: 115%;"><strong><em>No. 2</em></strong></span><br />
<span style="font-family: "Times New Roman","serif"; font-size: 12pt; line-height: 115%;"><strong><em> </em></strong></span><br />
<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin: 0in 0in 10pt;">
<span style="font-family: "Times New Roman","serif"; font-size: 12pt; line-height: 115%;"><strong><em>At closing time, Mr. X rushed into our hospital with
a limp puppy that was weak from violent vomiting and diarrhea. Mr. X was
concerned, and he was convinced that he knew exactly why the dog was seriously
ill. He had a previous dog that he had also purchased in Utah and it had died
of Provo. The puppy did indeed have Parvovirus, and he responded well to
treatment. </em></strong></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin: 0in 0in 10pt;">
<span style="font-family: "Times New Roman","serif"; font-size: 12pt; line-height: 115%;"><strong><em>Mr. X has sworn never to buy another dog in Utah,
especially from the city of Provo. </em></strong></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin: 0in 0in 10pt;">
<span style="font-family: "Times New Roman","serif"; font-size: 12pt; line-height: 115%;"><strong><em>No. 3 </em></strong></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin: 0in 0in 10pt;">
<span style="font-family: "Times New Roman","serif"; font-size: 12pt; line-height: 115%;"><strong><em>Mrs. Y presented her dog to me with very bad breath
and was adamant that the fecal smell was caused by constipation. She insisted
that I give her dog an enema despite the fact that I could not palpate any
stool in the dog’s colon. She refused an X-ray to solve the mystery, insisting
that constipation could be the only reason for fecal breath. Not so delicately,
I asked if she had fecal smelling breath when she was constipated. She assured
me that such an assumption was absurd and that dogs were different. </em></strong></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin: 0in 0in 10pt;">
<span style="font-family: "Times New Roman","serif"; font-size: 12pt; line-height: 115%;"><strong><em>The fact that the dog ate its own feces was immaterial.
</em></strong></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin: 0in 0in 10pt;">
<span style="font-family: "Times New Roman","serif"; font-size: 12pt; line-height: 115%;"><strong><em>No. 4</em></strong></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin: 0in 0in 10pt;">
<span style="font-family: "Times New Roman","serif"; font-size: 12pt; line-height: 115%;"><strong><em>Mr. Z reported that his dog was constantly voiding
small amounts of urine very frequently. X-rays revealed that the dog had over
30 stones in its bladder. When I showed the X-ray to the owner, his response
was, "How did she eat all of those stones!" Explaining to the owner
that the urinary system and the gastrointestinal system are not connected was
an absolute exercise in futility. </em></strong></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin: 0in 0in 10pt;">
<span style="font-family: "Times New Roman","serif"; font-size: 12pt; line-height: 115%;"><strong><em>Fortunately, he let us surgically remove the stones
from his dog’s bladder, but he has since removed all stones and gravel from his
yard to prevent a repeat of the problem. Dietary management of mineral and
water content made absolutely no sense to him.<o:p></o:p></em></strong></span></div>
Adapted from: <span style="font-family: "Times New Roman","serif"; font-size: 12pt; line-height: 115%; mso-ansi-language: EN-US; mso-bidi-language: AR-SA; mso-fareast-font-family: Calibri; mso-fareast-language: EN-US; mso-fareast-theme-font: minor-latin;"><a href="http://www.petmd.com/blogs/thedailyvet/ktudor/2013/feb/the-funny-things-people-say-at-the-veterinarians"><span style="color: blue;">http://www.petmd.com/blogs/thedailyvet/ktudor/2013/feb/the-funny-things-people-say-at-the-veterinarians</span></a></span><br />
<br />
<span style="font-size: large;">Any comments or questions should be sent to Helpful Buckeye at </span><a href="mailto:dogcatvethelp@gmail.com"><span style="font-size: large;">dogcatvethelp@gmail.com</span></a><span style="font-size: large;"> or submitted at the "Comments" section at the end of this issue.</span><br />
<span style="font-family: "Times New Roman","serif"; font-size: 12pt; line-height: 115%; mso-ansi-language: EN-US; mso-bidi-language: AR-SA; mso-fareast-font-family: Calibri; mso-fareast-language: EN-US; mso-fareast-theme-font: minor-latin;"></span><span style="font-family: "Times New Roman","serif"; font-size: 12pt; line-height: 115%; mso-ansi-language: EN-US; mso-bidi-language: AR-SA; mso-fareast-font-family: Calibri; mso-fareast-language: EN-US; mso-fareast-theme-font: minor-latin;"> </span><br />
<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin: 0in 0in 0pt;">
<em><span style="color: black;">~~The goal of this blog is to
provide general information and advice to help you be a better pet owner and to
have a more rewarding relationship with your pet. This blog does not intend to
replace the professional one-on-one care your pet receives from a practicing
veterinarian. When in doubt about your pet's health, always visit a
veterinarian.~~<o:p></o:p></span></em></div>
<br />
<strong><span style="font-size: x-large;"></span></strong><br />
<br />Helpful Buckeyehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/18134633849820948837noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-16663019142577616.post-65496463211921902502013-03-17T23:00:00.000-07:002013-03-17T23:00:08.589-07:00YOUR FINANCES AND PET CARE<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi2PkoWWHEKa4jUeaBJelQl8ll6wHbhQVAfC6NK20P3ghmEJ3DKScG3JBvnHzqiCe273slhXp8NDM_uAQEfFMqjxopptXEbVfr921n_RPynJfSyoY9Y-td8y6kTyKc1VGyKmVmffbXMmwQ/s1600/Shamrock2.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi2PkoWWHEKa4jUeaBJelQl8ll6wHbhQVAfC6NK20P3ghmEJ3DKScG3JBvnHzqiCe273slhXp8NDM_uAQEfFMqjxopptXEbVfr921n_RPynJfSyoY9Y-td8y6kTyKc1VGyKmVmffbXMmwQ/s1600/Shamrock2.jpg" /></a></div>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
</div>
<br />
<span style="font-size: large;">I've heard it said that the whole world is Irish on St. Patrick's Day and, that being the case, we can all benefit from this ancient Irish toast: <strong><em>"May your blessings outnumber the shamrocks that grow and may trouble avoid you wherever you go."</em></strong></span><br />
<strong><em><span style="font-size: large;"></span></em></strong><br />
<span style="font-size: large;">In honor of the very small part of Desperado and me that is Irish, we always prepare a big pot of corned beef and cabbage today. It makes a great meal with plenty leftover for sandwiches, etc.</span><br />
<br />
<span style="font-size: x-large;"><strong>EOB-7....</strong></span><br />
<br />
<span style="font-size: large;">Even though our economy is showing signs of some improvement, it can still be difficult for the consumer to keep up with rising costs. In particular, Helpful Buckeye is fully aware that the cost of medical care for your pets has also been on the rise. In many cases, pet owners will spend money taking care of their pets' medical needs before taking care of themselves. However, even that can have its limits. Let's take a closer look at:</span><br />
<br />
<br />
<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin: 0in 0in 10pt; text-align: center;">
<span style="font-family: "Times New Roman","serif"; font-size: 12pt; line-height: 115%;"><span style="font-size: x-large;"><strong><em>When it comes to household spending, the pet is</em></strong></span></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin: 0in 0in 10pt; text-align: center;">
<span style="font-family: "Times New Roman","serif"; font-size: 12pt; line-height: 115%;"><span style="font-size: x-large;"><strong><em> the
boss<o:p></o:p></em></strong></span></span></div>
<strong><em>
</em></strong><br />
<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin: 0in 0in 10pt;">
<span style="font-family: "Times New Roman","serif"; font-size: 12pt; line-height: 115%;"><strong><em>Americans pamper animals despite economy, with
billions in sales every year on food, toys, medicine — even prosthetic implants.</em></strong></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: 150%; margin: 0in 0in 15pt;">
<span style="color: #333333; font-family: "Times New Roman","serif"; font-size: 12pt; line-height: 150%; mso-fareast-font-family: "Times New Roman";"><strong><em>This year, Americans
will spend an estimated $55.5 billion on their pets, a little more than the
gross domestic product of Bulgaria.</em></strong></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: 150%; margin: 0in 0in 15pt;">
<span style="color: #333333; font-family: "Times New Roman","serif"; font-size: 12pt; line-height: 150%; mso-fareast-font-family: "Times New Roman";"><strong><em>And Americans probably
will spend even more next year, just as they have every year for the past two
decades.</em></strong></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: 150%; margin: 0in 0in 15pt;">
<strong><em><span style="color: #333333; font-family: "Times New Roman","serif"; font-size: 12pt; line-height: 150%; mso-fareast-font-family: "Times New Roman";">Little wonder, then,
that these are boom times in the pet industry. In one example, Petsmart
reported it sold $1.9 million worth of goods and services in the fourth quarter
alone. </span><span style="color: #333333; font-family: "Times New Roman","serif"; font-size: 12pt; line-height: 150%; mso-fareast-font-family: "Times New Roman";">“It’s an industry that
continued to grow during the recession,” said retail analyst Chris Boring,
principal at Boulevard Strategies. “In Ohio, the number of dog licenses issued
is growing faster than the birth rate.” </span><span style="color: #333333; font-family: "Times New Roman","serif"; font-size: 12pt; line-height: 150%; mso-fareast-font-family: "Times New Roman";">The reason for such
unstoppable growth can be traced to the baby-boom generation and its
humanization of pets, Boring said. </span><span style="color: #333333; font-family: "Times New Roman","serif"; font-size: 12pt; line-height: 150%; mso-fareast-font-family: "Times New Roman";">“They grew up in the
1950s and ’60s, and one of the most-popular TV shows for families was Lassie,”
Boring said. “Every little kid begged his folks to buy a dog.”</span></em></strong></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: 150%; margin: 0in 0in 15pt;">
<strong><em><span style="color: #333333; font-family: "Times New Roman","serif"; font-size: 12pt; line-height: 150%; mso-fareast-font-family: "Times New Roman";">As a result, “the baby
boom generation was the first generation, really, that commonly had household
pets,” Boring said. “Prior to that, most domestic animals were kept outside.
Cats were kept in barns or on porches, and dogs had dog houses out back. </span><span style="color: #333333; font-family: "Times New Roman","serif"; font-size: 12pt; line-height: 150%; mso-fareast-font-family: "Times New Roman";">Now that baby boomers
have become empty nesters, they’re adopting pets in record numbers. I think
it’s to fill an emotional need when the last child leaves home.”</span></em></strong></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: 150%; margin: 0in 0in 15pt;">
<strong><em><span style="color: #333333; font-family: "Times New Roman","serif"; font-size: 12pt; line-height: 150%; mso-fareast-font-family: "Times New Roman";">They’re not only
adopting pets in record numbers, but spending more on each pet, said Dave
Bolen, CEO of Pet Supplies Plus, which just opened two more stores locally —
one in Grove City and one in Delaware — bringing its Columbus total to seven.
The 280-store chain has been doing business locally for about 25 years. </span><span style="color: #333333; font-family: "Times New Roman","serif"; font-size: 12pt; line-height: 150%; mso-fareast-font-family: "Times New Roman";">“The people who shop
our stores don’t own pets. The pets own them,” Bolen said. “It’s true. The pets
run the household. If you go to our stores, you’ll note that all of the signage
is the pet talking to you. Our marketing is the same thing, it’s all in the
voice of the pet. The pet’s the boss.”</span></em></strong></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: 150%; margin: 0in 0in 15pt;">
<span style="color: #333333; font-family: "Times New Roman","serif"; font-size: 12pt; line-height: 150%; mso-fareast-font-family: "Times New Roman";"><strong><em>As might be expected,
food is the highest annual expense for most pet owners, according to the
American Pet Products Association. Owners on average spend $239 on food for
dogs and $203 on food for cats. Overall, pet owners will spend a total of $21.3
billion on food this year.</em></strong></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: 150%; margin: 0in 0in 15pt;">
<span style="color: #333333; font-family: "Times New Roman","serif"; font-size: 12pt; line-height: 150%; mso-fareast-font-family: "Times New Roman";"><strong><em>But it’s not just
quantity of food. Pet owners — or “parents,” as they’re known in the industry —
are going after high quality in their food, too. “That’s a really big deal,
organic food,” Bolen said. “It very much follows the trend in natural food in the
human space.” In response, his company offers 33 brands of pet foods that don’t
contain synthetic additives, artificial preservatives, fillers or animal
byproducts.</em></strong></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: 150%; margin: 0in 0in 15pt;">
<strong><em><span style="color: #333333; font-family: "Times New Roman","serif"; font-size: 12pt; line-height: 150%; mso-fareast-font-family: "Times New Roman";">Pet Supplies Plus is
hardly alone in the move toward organic pet food. </span><span style="color: #333333; font-family: "Times New Roman","serif"; font-size: 12pt; line-height: 150%; mso-fareast-font-family: "Times New Roman";">In the Short North, “a
particularly pet friendly area,” Boring said, Three Dog Bakery touts that its
“all-natural dog food” is something that owners “can feel good about sharing
with their furry family members.”</span></em></strong></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: 150%; margin: 0in 0in 15pt;">
<span style="color: #333333; font-family: "Times New Roman","serif"; font-size: 12pt; line-height: 150%; mso-fareast-font-family: "Times New Roman";"><strong><em>Pet People, another
national chain which has its divisional headquarters in Columbus, also touts
its “high quality, natural, wholesome, and nutritious pet foods and treats.”</em></strong></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: 150%; margin: 0in 0in 15pt;">
<span style="color: #333333; font-family: "Times New Roman","serif"; font-size: 12pt; line-height: 150%; mso-fareast-font-family: "Times New Roman";"><strong><em>The big spending
doesn’t end with food. Pet owners are also spending more on human-style fashion
gear, grooming and boarding. The American Pet Products Association expects pet
owners to spend $5.5 billion on grooming and boarding services this year.</em></strong></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: 150%; margin: 0in 0in 15pt;">
<span style="color: #333333; font-family: "Times New Roman","serif"; font-size: 12pt; line-height: 150%; mso-fareast-font-family: "Times New Roman";"><strong><em>At the prompting of
one franchise owner who noticed the rising demand for grooming, Pet Supplies
Plus began offering a self-service dog wash, Bolen said. “Sometimes trying to
give a larger dog a wash in the home is hard. It’s much easier to do in the dog
wash.”</em></strong></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: 150%; margin: 0in 0in 15pt;">
<span style="color: #333333; font-family: "Times New Roman","serif"; font-size: 12pt; line-height: 150%; mso-fareast-font-family: "Times New Roman";"><strong><em>Among the offerings at
Posh Pets Boutique in the Short North, for instance, are “the newest organic
cotton crocheted toys” and “new winter styles to keep your favorite pet
toasty!”</em></strong></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: 150%; margin: 0in 0in 15pt;">
<span style="color: #333333; font-family: "Times New Roman","serif"; font-size: 12pt; line-height: 150%; mso-fareast-font-family: "Times New Roman";"><strong><em>“They’re at a point
where they can afford to spoil their pets — and they do,” Boring said. “People
are cooking special meals for their dogs, and then there are some of these
places where, you call it boarding, but it’s more like plush hotels. It’s
almost like anything you can apply to humans can apply to dogs. And it is
usually dogs. Cats don’t really care. I say that as a cat owner.”</em></strong></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: 150%; margin: 0in 0in 15pt;">
<span style="color: #333333; font-family: "Times New Roman","serif"; font-size: 12pt; line-height: 150%; mso-fareast-font-family: "Times New Roman";"><strong><em>The pampering even
extends to psychological considerations. One product, Neuticles, “allows your
pet to retain his natural look, self-esteem and aids in the trauma associated
with altering.” Pet owners have bought more than half a million of the
prosthetic testicular implants, which sell for about $1,000 a pair.</em></strong></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: 150%; margin: 0in 0in 15pt;">
<span style="color: #333333; font-family: "Times New Roman","serif"; font-size: 12pt; line-height: 150%; mso-fareast-font-family: "Times New Roman";"></span><span style="color: #333333; font-family: "Times New Roman","serif"; font-size: 12pt; line-height: 150%; mso-fareast-font-family: "Times New Roman";"><strong><em>“I saw a cat stroller
the other day for some ridiculous price,” Boring said. “My first question is,
what cat would let you put it in a stroller?”</em></strong></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: 150%; margin: 0in 0in 15pt;">
<span style="font-family: "Times New Roman","serif"; font-size: 12pt; line-height: 150%;">Adapted from: <a href="http://www.dispatch.com/content/stories/business/2013/03/14/the-pet-is-the-boss.html"><span style="mso-fareast-font-family: "Times New Roman";"><span style="color: blue;">http://www.dispatch.com/content/stories/business/2013/03/14/the-pet-is-the-boss.html</span></span></a></span><span style="color: #333333; font-family: "Times New Roman","serif"; font-size: 12pt; line-height: 150%; mso-fareast-font-family: "Times New Roman";"> <o:p></o:p></span></div>
<span style="font-size: large;">...for the dog that has everything...yes, prosthetic testicles! If you think this article accounted for all the cost increases, think again.</span><br />
<br />
<br />
<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin: 0in 0in 10pt; text-align: center;">
<span style="font-family: "Times New Roman","serif"; font-size: 12pt; line-height: 115%;"><strong><em><span style="font-size: x-large;">Pet furnishings go upscale<o:p></o:p></span></em></strong></span></div>
<strong><em>
</em></strong><br />
<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin: 0in 0in 10pt;">
<span style="font-family: "Times New Roman","serif"; font-size: 12pt; line-height: 115%;"><strong><em>When Jade Lenzo was getting ready to bring home her
kitten, Bella, for the first time, she set about preparing the place for the
little ragdoll cat. Lenzo already had the essentials, but top on her list was a
scratching post.</em></strong></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin: 0in 0in 10pt;">
<span style="font-family: "Times New Roman","serif"; font-size: 12pt; line-height: 115%;"><strong><em>"I began my search with a few thoughts in
mind," she says. "It had to look good in our modern home, be well
made with quality materials, be safe for cats and be reasonably priced."</em></strong></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin: 0in 0in 10pt;">
<span style="font-family: "Times New Roman","serif"; font-size: 12pt; line-height: 115%;"><strong><em>What should have been a simple task brought nothing
but disappointment. She found nothing in the stores she visited, Lenzo says,
but cheap and tacky stuff "made out of carpet that was secured with
staples." Certainly nothing that fit the sleek lines and soft curves of
her decor.</em></strong></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin: 0in 0in 10pt;">
<span style="font-family: "Times New Roman","serif"; font-size: 12pt; line-height: 115%;"><strong><em>Lenzo, who lives outside of Perth, Australia, turned
to the Internet and eventually found exactly what she was looking for at a
Fremont-based company called Five Pet Place.</em></strong></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin: 0in 0in 10pt;">
<span style="font-family: "Times New Roman","serif"; font-size: 12pt; line-height: 115%;"><strong><em>The company, founded by Michael Ostrofsky, was
created to appeal to clients just like Lenzo -- people who love their pets but
also their decor, who don't want to see a plastic litter box in the bathroom or
a garishly colored carpet-clad scratching post.</em></strong></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin: 0in 0in 10pt;">
<span style="font-family: "Times New Roman","serif"; font-size: 12pt; line-height: 115%;"><strong><em>While Ostrofsky has found a niche, he is by no means
alone. According to research by the American Pet Products Association, about 62
percent of households in the United States own a pet; that's roughly 377
million dogs, cats, birds, fish, reptiles, horses and other animals. Back in
1994, we spent $17 billion on our animal friends. In 2012, it was more than $52
billion.</em></strong></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin: 0in 0in 10pt;">
<span style="font-family: "Times New Roman","serif"; font-size: 12pt; line-height: 115%;"><strong><em>Pets and the stuff we buy for them have become such
a huge market that, according to the association, big-name retailers --
including Old Navy, Paul Mitchell and Harley Davidson -- are branching out to
add pet products to their traditional lines.</em></strong></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin: 0in 0in 10pt;">
<span style="font-family: "Times New Roman","serif"; font-size: 12pt; line-height: 115%;"><strong><em>It is now fairly easy to find fancy clothing,
jeweled collars and leather-accented carriers with built-in iPad pouches. But
the furniture -- the everyday items that fill conspicuous spots in our homes --
is another story. And some people aren't willing to settle any longer.</em></strong></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin: 0in 0in 10pt;">
<span style="font-family: "Times New Roman","serif"; font-size: 12pt; line-height: 115%;"><strong><em><u>Style rules</u></em></strong></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin: 0in 0in 10pt;">
<span style="font-family: "Times New Roman","serif"; font-size: 12pt; line-height: 115%;"><strong><em>Style was definitely on the mind of Sue Kindregan
when she bought a Five Pet Place scratching post for her kitten, LouLou, an
indoor-only cat. "I knew I had to find a scratching post for LouLou, but I
didn't want an eyesore," she says.</em></strong></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin: 0in 0in 10pt;">
<span style="font-family: "Times New Roman","serif"; font-size: 12pt; line-height: 115%;"><strong><em>The color matches her traditional furniture, and the
pieces look as if they had been custom-made to match the woodwork in her house
in Boston, she says. "We recently ordered the litter tray in all white,
and honestly, it blends in perfectly in our master bath. And it doesn't look
like a litter box."</em></strong></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin: 0in 0in 10pt;">
<span style="font-family: "Times New Roman","serif"; font-size: 12pt; line-height: 115%;"><strong><em>Ostrofsky, who founded <a href="http://www.fivepetplace.com/">www.fivepetplace.com</a> ,
recognized the need for fashionable pet furniture through his own experience.</em></strong></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin: 0in 0in 10pt;">
<span style="font-family: "Times New Roman","serif"; font-size: 12pt; line-height: 115%;"><strong><em>At the time, he was married and moving into a
brand-new home. He and his wife had two cats, but the population quickly grew
to five as they kept adding strays. The couple had worked and saved for the
house; when they moved, they bought all new furnishings. The cats' scratching
posts and litter boxes stuck out like the proverbial sore thumb. Unable to find
something that would suit the coffered ceilings, crown molding and wainscoting
of their Union City home, Ostrofsky worked with his father to build his own. He
researched his own cats' behavior and designed models that they preferred, but
it was the enthusiastic response and requests from friends and guests that
tipped off Ostrofsky that he was onto something.</em></strong></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin: 0in 0in 10pt;">
<span style="font-family: "Times New Roman","serif"; font-size: 12pt; line-height: 115%;"><strong><em><u>Dogs have their day</u></em></strong></span></div>
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjFZjVuecW8zGYjDgt8xOaC13SPRRsFaMh_xuUgsGTqa1_xOvk41pVKBxtiZRKthIi3FvZcyQryQy6Rg20al5XVIuE6VJkNk9DUgM1eQhZDLyBPhqEFfB-vrFPSH0mVUUSz3q9y-vlG0Ms/s1600/Upscale+Pet+Dishes.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="216" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjFZjVuecW8zGYjDgt8xOaC13SPRRsFaMh_xuUgsGTqa1_xOvk41pVKBxtiZRKthIi3FvZcyQryQy6Rg20al5XVIuE6VJkNk9DUgM1eQhZDLyBPhqEFfB-vrFPSH0mVUUSz3q9y-vlG0Ms/s320/Upscale+Pet+Dishes.jpg" width="320" /></a><span style="font-family: "Times New Roman","serif"; font-size: 12pt; line-height: 115%;"><strong><em>Five Pet Place features scratching posts, food
dishes, litter boxes and beds that can best be described as elegantly
appointed. Ostrofsky says that, beyond their decorative beauty, they are made
to last, with materials that won't harm the cat or pollute the indoor
environment.</em></strong></span><br />
<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin: 0in 0in 10pt;">
<span style="font-family: "Times New Roman","serif"; font-size: 12pt; line-height: 115%;"><strong><em>While Five Pet Place is primarily for cats, other
companies are filling the void for dogs. The Company Store, primarily known for
its luxurious human bedding, is now offering fine linens, pillows and
four-poster beds for your favorite canine. A company spokesman says it
"wanted to extend the same comfort, quality and design we're known for to
the four-legged friends of our families."</em></strong></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin: 0in 0in 10pt;">
<span style="font-family: "Times New Roman","serif"; font-size: 12pt; line-height: 115%;"><strong><em>The line of cozy dog comforters and accessories is
continually updated to coordinate with an assortment of bedding and decor for
the entire home. So if you love the linens on your California king, Fido can
have a coordinating ensemble.</em></strong></span></div>
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjybRlXj3V0vnVT4wfGdg1mE0Oy1PN000eE86d2ARkbkTEob3vA2Mm0gW74038hV_r1k5cXoNI0dMoo9xry4U7NL__6p0muERt9XP3aVfuRi3teIqGacYwtdhDXfTjMUAvqvCYppZi_5E0/s1600/Wicker+Dog+Bed.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: right; float: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: 1em;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjybRlXj3V0vnVT4wfGdg1mE0Oy1PN000eE86d2ARkbkTEob3vA2Mm0gW74038hV_r1k5cXoNI0dMoo9xry4U7NL__6p0muERt9XP3aVfuRi3teIqGacYwtdhDXfTjMUAvqvCYppZi_5E0/s1600/Wicker+Dog+Bed.jpg" /></a><span style="font-family: "Times New Roman","serif"; font-size: 12pt; line-height: 115%;"><strong><em>Companies such as Soft Surroundings, which has
launched a new line called the Retreat Collection, offer plush mattresses and
wicker beds. Robin Sheldon, its founder and president, says, "We are
invested in creating lush, beautiful bedding for our customers to create their
own soft surroundings. With the introduction of Retreat, our home furnishings
catalog, it seemed only natural to include a comfy place to relax for our
four-legged best friends. The wonderful response we've received has resulted in
a new collection of French-inspired pet beds, which will be introduced in the
September Retreat.</em></strong></span><br />
<br />
<span style="font-family: "Times New Roman","serif"; font-size: 12pt; line-height: 115%;"><strong><em><u>Style not cheap</u></em></strong></span><br />
<strong><em><u></u></em></strong><br />
<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin: 0in 0in 10pt;">
<span style="font-family: "Times New Roman","serif"; font-size: 12pt; line-height: 115%;"><strong><em>The salute to home decor does not come cheap, which
may be the one sticking point for companies. But owners are accustomed to
paying dearly for almost anything for their pets. Those who market the pedigree
products point out that, yes, the items are costly, but they likely will last
much longer than the more cheaply made versions.</em></strong></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin: 0in 0in 10pt;">
<span style="font-family: "Times New Roman","serif"; font-size: 12pt; line-height: 115%;"><strong><em>Cost wasn't an issue for Lenzo, who benefits from
the strength of the Australian dollar over the American. Ostrofsky's prices
were reasonable to her, she says, and the quality made them well worth it.</em></strong></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin: 0in 0in 10pt;">
<span style="font-family: "Times New Roman","serif"; font-size: 12pt; line-height: 115%;"><strong><em>It's the style that gets customers through the door,
Ostrofsky says, but if it doesn't function properly, they won't be back.
There's also another factor that influences shopping for high-end pet
furniture. How does the pet like it?</em></strong></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin: 0in 0in 10pt;">
<span style="font-family: "Times New Roman","serif"; font-size: 12pt; line-height: 115%;"><strong><em>Lenzo says she is proud to have Bella's cat
furnishings in plain view, and she gets lots of compliments from friends and
family.</em></strong></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin: 0in 0in 10pt;">
<span style="font-family: "Times New Roman","serif"; font-size: 12pt; line-height: 115%;"><strong><em>"But most importantly," she says,
"Bella loves them."</em></strong></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin: 0in 0in 10pt;">
<span style="font-family: "Times New Roman","serif"; font-size: 12pt; line-height: 115%;">Adapted from: <span style="font-family: "Times New Roman","serif"; font-size: 12pt; line-height: 115%;"><a href="http://www.contracostatimes.com/ci_22672095/pet-furnishings-go-upscale"><span style="color: blue;">http://www.contracostatimes.com/ci_22672095/pet-furnishings-go-upscale</span></a></span></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin: 0in 0in 10pt;">
<span style="font-family: "Times New Roman","serif"; font-size: 12pt; line-height: 115%;"><span style="font-family: "Times New Roman","serif"; font-size: 12pt; line-height: 115%;"></span></span> </div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin: 0in 0in 10pt; text-align: center;">
<span style="font-family: "Times New Roman","serif"; line-height: 115%;"><span style="font-family: "Times New Roman","serif"; line-height: 115%;"><strong><em><span style="font-size: x-large;">High Costs of Pet Medicines</span></em></strong></span></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin: 0in 0in 10pt;">
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhXeFlpvK0VIUlKsZadX_twJGX3yebz28k-gqilBUddkGUMl8oR7Eb0NuZuwsr72zdHVp0Fs-PzFQP8bUGE6g5AHztxUOwlDIow16VPMdz05nDOwKR8cDd93IQErnyro_EG0kZ-FSkRZzM/s1600/Medical+Expenses.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhXeFlpvK0VIUlKsZadX_twJGX3yebz28k-gqilBUddkGUMl8oR7Eb0NuZuwsr72zdHVp0Fs-PzFQP8bUGE6g5AHztxUOwlDIow16VPMdz05nDOwKR8cDd93IQErnyro_EG0kZ-FSkRZzM/s1600/Medical+Expenses.jpg" /></a></div>
<span style="font-family: "Times New Roman","serif"; font-size: 12pt; line-height: 115%;"><span style="font-family: "Times New Roman","serif"; font-size: 12pt; line-height: 115%;">
<span style="font-family: "Times New Roman","serif"; font-size: 12pt; line-height: 115%;"><strong><em>You know the drill... you drive to the vet, you come
in and your dog weighs in by the front desk, the vet tech checks vital signs in
the exam room and then your vet gives your dog a thorough exam. This is usually
followed by any necessary vaccinations. Finally, you get your prescriptions and
medications and you're out the door.</em></strong></span></span></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin: 0in 0in 10pt;">
<span style="font-family: "Times New Roman","serif"; font-size: 12pt; line-height: 115%;"><strong><em>As you're walking your dog to the car, you glance
down at the receipt and you're thinking….</em></strong></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin: 0in 0in 10pt;">
<span style="font-family: "Times New Roman","serif"; font-size: 12pt; line-height: 115%;"><strong><em>When did pet meds get so expensive? </em></strong></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin: 0in 0in 10pt;">
<span style="font-family: "Times New Roman","serif"; font-size: 12pt; line-height: 115%;"><strong><em>I know how you feel. The cost of medications has skyrocketed.
</em></strong></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin: 0in 0in 10pt;">
<span style="font-family: "Times New Roman","serif"; font-size: 12pt; line-height: 115%;"><strong><em>Many people question some of the excessive profits
that pharmaceutical companies make (I think they have a point). However, there
are some good reasons why pet medications are so expensive.</em></strong></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin: 0in 0in 10pt;">
<span style="font-family: "Times New Roman","serif"; font-size: 12pt; line-height: 115%;"><strong><em>Today I want to share a few of things that drive up
the cost of pet medications plus I will share a tip that will save you money
and avoid paying full price on pet meds.</em></strong></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin: 0in 0in 10pt;">
<span style="font-family: "Times New Roman","serif"; font-size: 12pt; line-height: 115%;"><strong><em>First, there's the cost of research and development.
Many pet meds have the same active ingredients as their corresponding human
drugs; but in much smaller amounts. But even using familiar ingredients, it can
take years to develop that particular medication and bring a safe and effective
drug to market. In fact, for dogs, it can take five years or more. </em></strong></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin: 0in 0in 10pt;">
<span style="font-family: "Times New Roman","serif"; font-size: 12pt; line-height: 115%;"><strong><em>For example, a topical medication which controls
heartworm and fleas and costs about $200 for an annual supply at your vet's
office took nearly 10 years in the discovery process, and millions of dollars
before becoming available for pet use. </em></strong></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin: 0in 0in 10pt;">
<span style="font-family: "Times New Roman","serif"; font-size: 12pt; line-height: 115%;"><strong><em>Second, pet meds are run through the same rigorous testing,
patient studies and safety procedures as people drugs. The case studies alone
can take years to get the proper number of participants to be statistically
relevant. They also must be approved by the Food and Drug Administration (FDA)
before they're available for prescription and pet use. </em></strong></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin: 0in 0in 10pt;">
<span style="font-family: "Times New Roman","serif"; font-size: 12pt; line-height: 115%;"><strong><em>So what's the answer?</em></strong></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin: 0in 0in 10pt;">
<span style="font-family: "Times New Roman","serif"; font-size: 12pt; line-height: 115%;"><strong><em>Skimp on pet medications? Skip doses? Absolutely
not! As pet parents – it is our responsibility to do the best we can for our
precious dogs.</em></strong></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin: 0in 0in 10pt;">
<span style="font-family: "Times New Roman","serif"; font-size: 12pt; line-height: 115%;"><strong><em>So…even though the medications can be expensive, they
really are an important part of your dog's care. By providing vaccines and
preventative medications – we have the power to prevent our pets from being
bitten by ticks, being infested with fleas and having worms invade their lungs
and hearts (causing heartworm disease).</em></strong></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin: 0in 0in 10pt;">
<span style="font-family: "Times New Roman","serif"; font-size: 12pt; line-height: 115%;">Adapted from: <a href="http://view.ed4.net/v/IQEJLW1/5C2U0/6M1RIVS/SXRPW/FORMAT=H"><span style="color: blue;">http://view.ed4.net/v/IQEJLW1/5C2U0/6M1RIVS/SXRPW/FORMAT=H</span></a>
</span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin: 0in 0in 10pt;">
<span style="font-family: "Times New Roman","serif"; font-size: 12pt; line-height: 115%;"><o:p>
</o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin: 0in 0in 10pt; text-align: center;">
<span style="font-family: "Times New Roman","serif"; line-height: 115%;"><strong><span style="font-size: x-large;"><em>New Comparison Shopping Site for Pet Owners</em></span></strong></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin: 0in 0in 10pt;">
<span style="font-family: "Times New Roman","serif"; font-size: 12pt; line-height: 115%;">By ANN CARRNS</span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin: 0in 0in 10pt;">
<span style="font-family: "Times New Roman","serif"; font-size: 12pt; line-height: 115%;"><strong><em>A dog owner with an entrepreneurial bent has started
a Web site aimed at making it easier for pet lovers to find the right products
at the right price. </em></strong></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin: 0in 0in 10pt;">
<span style="font-family: "Times New Roman","serif"; font-size: 12pt; line-height: 115%;"><strong><em><a href="http://dugdug.com/">DugDug.com</a> is a new price comparison site that aims to
provide pet product information from multiple online retailers in a clear,
easily understandable format, said David Keh, the site’s founder. </em></strong></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin: 0in 0in 10pt;">
<span style="font-family: "Times New Roman","serif"; font-size: 12pt; line-height: 115%;"><strong><em>Mr. Keh, a former hedge fund analyst, said he
created DugDug out of his own frustration as a new pet owner. (He owns a
standard poodle.) When searching for supplies online, he said, most comparison
sites returned information that wasn’t presented in a helpful way. For
instance, when searching for medications, searching by the product name most
often produced lists that weren’t sorted based on the pet’s weight or by the
number of doses supplied, making it difficult to compare prices. “You get
nonsensical results,” he said. “It was a huge frustration.” </em></strong></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin: 0in 0in 10pt;">
<span style="font-family: "Times New Roman","serif"; font-size: 12pt; line-height: 115%;"><strong><em>So Mr. Keh’s site attempts to sort products in a
more meaningful way. A search on DugDug, for instance, for Advantix, a killer
of canine fleas and ticks, returns a menu of options, based on the pet’s
weight. When you click on the proper weight (11-20 pounds, say), an appropriate
list of vendors and prices appears. </em></strong></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin: 0in 0in 10pt;">
<span style="font-family: "Times New Roman","serif"; font-size: 12pt; line-height: 115%;"><strong><em>DugDug also includes any coupons next to each item.
That way, users can receive the discount when buying the item, rather than
having to scour the Web for potentially available coupon codes, he said. (If
users want, they can also use an optional browser tool, called Rover, that
automatically notifies them of coupons as they visit different Web sites.) </em></strong></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin: 0in 0in 10pt;">
<span style="font-family: "Times New Roman","serif"; font-size: 12pt; line-height: 115%;"><strong><em>DugDug doesn’t conduct any sales itself. Rather,
once you find the best price, you select the vendor and are taken to that Web
site to complete the sale. DugDug receives a fee from some sites if you click
through and make a purchase. But the site lists the vendors with the best
prices, Mr. Keh said, whether or not the site has a commission deal with
DugDug. </em></strong></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin: 0in 0in 10pt;">
<span style="font-family: "Times New Roman","serif"; font-size: 12pt; line-height: 115%;"><strong><em>(If you are buying a pet medication that requires a
prescription, you must eventually provide one from your veterinarian — or,
often, the site you buy from will contact your veterinarian to verify it, or to
request one on your behalf. In general, though, you need to see a veterinarian
in person at some point, to obtain the prescription. Mr. Keh says DugDug
screens prescription sites displayed on its searches to weed out disreputable
carriers that may be offering counterfeit drugs.) </em></strong></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin: 0in 0in 10pt;">
<span style="font-family: "Times New Roman","serif"; font-size: 12pt; line-height: 115%;"><strong><em>Mr. Keh said he might be new to pets, but has always
been entrepreneurial. While an undergraduate at Stanford, he ran a
business from his dorm room changing the backlighting on cellphones, earning as
much as $150 each. </em></strong></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin: 0in 0in 10pt;">
<span style="font-family: "Times New Roman","serif"; font-size: 12pt; line-height: 115%;"><strong><em>DugDug focuses on dogs, but will be gradually
rolling out other pet categories like cats, birds, fish, reptiles and small
pets (including ferrets, guinea pigs, gerbils etc.) over the next several
weeks. </em></strong></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin: 0in 0in 10pt;">
<span style="font-family: "Times New Roman","serif"; font-size: 12pt; line-height: 115%;"><strong><em>Other plans for the Web site include comparison
shopping tools for pet insurance, an area Mr. Keh said he saw as lacking in
transparency. “We’ll give information on prices and differences in coverage,”
he said.<o:p></o:p></em></strong></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin: 0in 0in 10pt;">
Adapted from: <span style="font-family: "Times New Roman","serif"; font-size: 12pt; line-height: 115%; mso-ansi-language: EN-US; mso-bidi-language: AR-SA; mso-fareast-font-family: Calibri; mso-fareast-language: EN-US; mso-fareast-theme-font: minor-latin;"><a href="http://bucks.blogs.nytimes.com/2013/02/19/new-comparison-shopping-site-for-pet-owners/"><span style="color: blue;">http://bucks.blogs.nytimes.com/2013/02/19/new-comparison-shopping-site-for-pet-owners/</span></a>
</span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin: 0in 0in 10pt;">
<span style="font-family: "Times New Roman","serif"; font-size: 12pt; line-height: 115%; mso-ansi-language: EN-US; mso-bidi-language: AR-SA; mso-fareast-font-family: Calibri; mso-fareast-language: EN-US; mso-fareast-theme-font: minor-latin;"></span><span style="font-size: large;">If more web sites like this one become available, some pet owners might be better able to afford medications for their pets. Now, let's take a look at how quickly health care expenses can add up at the veterinary hospital:</span><br />
<span style="font-size: large;"></span> </div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin: 0in 0in 10pt; text-align: center;">
<span style="font-family: "Times New Roman","serif"; line-height: 115%;"><span style="font-size: x-large;"><strong><em>Americans spend millions to keep pets healthy</em></strong></span></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin: 0in 0in 10pt;">
<span style="font-family: "Times New Roman","serif"; font-size: 12pt; line-height: 115%;">by Patti Kirkpatrick</span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin: 0in 0in 10pt;">
<span style="font-family: "Times New Roman","serif"; font-size: 12pt; line-height: 115%;"><strong><em>PHOENIX -- We love our pets and show that love by
spending a lot of money. Americans will spend a jaw-dropping $53 billion on
their pets this year. </em></strong></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin: 0in 0in 10pt;">
<span style="font-family: "Times New Roman","serif"; font-size: 12pt; line-height: 115%;"><strong><em>A big chunk of that goes to health care, which is
right up there with medical care for people. </em></strong></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin: 0in 0in 10pt;">
<span style="font-family: "Times New Roman","serif"; font-size: 12pt; line-height: 115%;"><strong><em>Stephanie Helbig and her husband spent thousands at
VETMED in north Phoenix to diagnose and treat their 9-year-old beagle, Lucy,
after she fell sick with a life-threatening illness.</em></strong></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin: 0in 0in 10pt;">
<span style="font-family: "Times New Roman","serif"; font-size: 12pt; line-height: 115%;"><strong><em>"I think I'm like most people. My dog is like
my child," smiled Stephanie .</em></strong></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin: 0in 0in 10pt;">
<span style="font-family: "Times New Roman","serif"; font-size: 12pt; line-height: 115%;"><strong><em>Stephanie brought her beagle to VETMED to be treated
after a blood test revealed a complex condition: immune-mediated neutropenia
and hemolytic anemia. Lucy is almost cured, but it cost her and her husband
nearly $20,000.</em></strong></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin: 0in 0in 10pt;">
<span style="font-family: "Times New Roman","serif"; font-size: 12pt; line-height: 115%;"><strong><em>"It was never a question of whether we would
spend the money or not," Stephanie said. </em></strong></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin: 0in 0in 10pt;">
<span style="font-family: "Times New Roman","serif"; font-size: 12pt; line-height: 115%;"><strong><em>VETMED is where other veterinarians across the
Southwest send their sickest patients for the most advanced diagnosis and
treatment -- including many of the machines and procedures common in human
health care. </em></strong></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin: 0in 0in 10pt;">
<span style="font-family: "Times New Roman","serif"; font-size: 12pt; line-height: 115%;"><strong><em>Dr. Arch Robertson founded the clinic in 1995,
specializing only in ultrasound technology. Today it's a bustling, new,
high-tech facility that fills an 8,000-square-foot building with plans to add
another 5,000.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span></em></strong></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin: 0in 0in 10pt;">
<span style="font-family: "Times New Roman","serif"; font-size: 12pt; line-height: 115%;"><strong><em>Robertson marvels at how far his practice has come.</em></strong></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin: 0in 0in 10pt;">
<span style="font-family: "Times New Roman","serif"; font-size: 12pt; line-height: 115%;"><strong><em>"We can do things so much quicker, so much less
invasively, with less cost, frankly, and less morbidity," Robertson said. </em></strong></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin: 0in 0in 10pt;">
<span style="font-family: "Times New Roman","serif"; font-size: 12pt; line-height: 115%;"><strong><em>He proudly showed off the CT scan, an imaging
machine used for diagnosis. Linus, a beagle with sinus problems, got a scan to
determine if the cause was a tumor or something else. Cost: $1,000-$1,100. </em></strong></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin: 0in 0in 10pt;">
<span style="font-family: "Times New Roman","serif"; font-size: 12pt; line-height: 115%;"><strong><em>"So we do the CTs and then we have a
board-certified radiologist -- not on site -- but we send through telemedicine
-- who reads the films," Robertson said. "So we have one of the top
experts in the country reading our CTs." </em></strong></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin: 0in 0in 10pt;">
<span style="font-family: "Times New Roman","serif"; font-size: 12pt; line-height: 115%;"><strong><em>Veterinary medicine is advancing right along with
human medicine. At VETMED pet patients also have access to: </em></strong></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin: 0in 0in 10pt;">
<span style="font-family: "Times New Roman","serif"; font-size: 12pt; line-height: 115%;"><strong><em><span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>- Cardiac
catheterization, a machine that creates video images of the heart.</em></strong></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin: 0in 0in 10pt;">
<span style="font-family: "Times New Roman","serif"; font-size: 12pt; line-height: 115%;"><strong><em><span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>-
Lithotripsy, a non-invasive procedure that zaps bladder or kidney stones.</em></strong></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin: 0in 0in 10pt;">
<span style="font-family: "Times New Roman","serif"; font-size: 12pt; line-height: 115%;"><strong><em><span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>- Digital
radiography, creating high tech x-rays that are and cheaper than film.</em></strong></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin: 0in 0in 10pt;">
<span style="font-family: "Times New Roman","serif"; font-size: 12pt; line-height: 115%;"><strong><em><span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>- Surgery,
including neuro and orthopaedic</em></strong></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin: 0in 0in 10pt;">
<span style="font-family: "Times New Roman","serif"; font-size: 12pt; line-height: 115%;"><strong><em><span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>-
Computerized, automated pharmacy system.</em></strong></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin: 0in 0in 10pt;">
<span style="font-family: "Times New Roman","serif"; font-size: 12pt; line-height: 115%;"><strong><em><span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>- In-house
lab</em></strong></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin: 0in 0in 10pt;">
<span style="font-family: "Times New Roman","serif"; font-size: 12pt; line-height: 115%;"><strong><em><span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>- Critical
Care, including 24-hour care. </em></strong></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin: 0in 0in 10pt;">
<span style="font-family: "Times New Roman","serif"; font-size: 12pt; line-height: 115%;"><strong><em>Dr. Nichole Hooper is VETMED's specialist in
critical care and on the day we visited was examining a 3-year-old labradoodle
named Diego with beautiful, but very sad, eyes.</em></strong></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin: 0in 0in 10pt;">
<span style="font-family: "Times New Roman","serif"; font-size: 12pt; line-height: 115%;"><strong><em>"Diego likes to get into the laundry and he's
eaten at least two pairs of socks that we know of," Hooper said. </em></strong></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin: 0in 0in 10pt;">
<span style="font-family: "Times New Roman","serif"; font-size: 12pt; line-height: 115%;"></span><strong><em><span style="font-family: "Times New Roman","serif"; font-size: 12pt; line-height: 115%;">Dr. Robertson's quick ultrasound with Diego
confirmed a dire diagnosis. </span><span style="font-family: "Times New Roman","serif"; font-size: 12pt; line-height: 115%;">"He needs surgery right away," he said. </span></em></strong></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin: 0in 0in 10pt;">
<span style="font-family: "Times New Roman","serif"; font-size: 12pt; line-height: 115%;"><strong><em>His owners gave the go-ahead and the labradoodle
underwent successful surgery that day, socks removed, and back home, doing
well. </em></strong></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin: 0in 0in 10pt;">
<span style="font-family: "Times New Roman","serif"; font-size: 12pt; line-height: 115%;"></span><span style="font-family: "Times New Roman","serif"; font-size: 12pt; line-height: 115%;"><strong><em>"We know that the human-animal bond, you know
just petting a dog and having that relationship, and having them happy when you
come home from work, you know, that just makes people feel good,"
Robertson said.</em></strong></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin: 0in 0in 10pt;">
<span style="font-family: "Times New Roman","serif"; font-size: 12pt; line-height: 115%;"></span><span style="font-family: "Times New Roman","serif"; font-size: 12pt; line-height: 115%;">Adapted from: <a href="http://www.azfamily.com/news/Americans-spend-millions-to-keep-pets-healthy-175327641.html"><span style="color: blue;">http://www.azfamily.com/news/Americans-spend-millions-to-keep-pets-healthy-175327641.html</span></a>
<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin: 0in 0in 10pt;">
<span style="font-size: large;">By now, any sane pet owner is scratching their head and wondering how they can manage the cost of health care for their pets in the future. Here are some good ideas:</span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin: 0in 0in 10pt;">
</div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin: 0in 0in 10pt; text-align: center;">
<span style="font-family: "Times New Roman","serif"; font-size: 12pt; line-height: 115%;"><span style="font-size: x-large;"><strong><em>Caring for Pets Without Breaking the Bank</em></strong></span> <o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin: 0in 0in 10pt;">
<span style="font-family: "Times New Roman","serif"; font-size: 12pt; line-height: 115%;">by John Kiernan <o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin: 0in 0in 10pt;">
<span style="font-family: "Times New Roman","serif"; font-size: 12pt; line-height: 115%;"><strong><em>In this edition of our “Ask the Experts” series, we
identify the factors that drive the cost of pet care, examine saving tips, and
identify the most efficient ways to help your favorite animal charities.</em></strong></span></div>
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgjKdxkTAqZjNXSvPeQVOdCEp8nAXakg_XM-wX3de9OspeIJDGqqWYNJDQaArgfb8b1M29ZVN4dsBOPi1qG-mMDsDipsfNLf_nlv9M3MxNLdqRwCjYHcTIexN_wOGOcvNxiOWwM25Msh0Q/s1600/cat-dog-vet-bills.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgjKdxkTAqZjNXSvPeQVOdCEp8nAXakg_XM-wX3de9OspeIJDGqqWYNJDQaArgfb8b1M29ZVN4dsBOPi1qG-mMDsDipsfNLf_nlv9M3MxNLdqRwCjYHcTIexN_wOGOcvNxiOWwM25Msh0Q/s1600/cat-dog-vet-bills.jpg" /></a><span style="font-family: "Times New Roman","serif"; font-size: 12pt; line-height: 115%;"><strong><em>Some 72.9 million households in the United States
own pets.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>That represents roughly 62% of
us, and we collectively spend more than $50 billion annually on our furry,
scaled, and feathered friends.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>The
obvious question that stems from that is how do we bring down costs without
sacrificing our pets’ well being in any way, shape, or form?</em></strong></span><br />
<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin: 0in 0in 10pt;">
<span style="font-family: "Times New Roman","serif"; font-size: 12pt; line-height: 115%;"><strong><em>You see, we need to identify savings opportunities
across the breadth of our lives in order to reverse our dangerous debt habits
and stave off future financial meltdowns.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;">
</span>U.S. consumers currently owe roughly $846 billion to credit card
companies alone – more than $113 billion of which has been incurred since the
Great Recession ended.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>We’re also more
than $1 trillion in the hole to student loan companies, and thousands of homes
across the country are “underwater” – even in the driest of areas.</em></strong></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin: 0in 0in 10pt;">
<span style="font-family: "Times New Roman","serif"; font-size: 12pt; line-height: 115%;"><strong><em>Trying to make all of the necessary spending cuts at
one time could get impossibly overwhelming, so it makes sense to take a
step-by-step approach.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>This is the pet
step, and we turned to the following experts in search of answers:</em></strong></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin: 0in 0in 10pt;">
<span style="font-family: "Times New Roman","serif"; font-size: 12pt; line-height: 115%;"><strong><em>•Peter Maguire – Veterinarian and professor with
Colorado State University’s College of Veterinary Medicine & Biomedical
Sciences.</em></strong></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin: 0in 0in 10pt;">
<span style="font-family: "Times New Roman","serif"; font-size: 12pt; line-height: 115%;"><strong><em>•Joseph Bartges – Veterinarian and professor of
medicine & nutrition at the University of Tennessee’s College of Veterinary
Medicine.</em></strong></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin: 0in 0in 10pt;">
<span style="font-family: "Times New Roman","serif"; font-size: 12pt; line-height: 115%;"><strong><em>•Brian Collins – Veterinarian and lecturer at
Cornell University’s College of Veterinary Medicine.</em></strong></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin: 0in 0in 10pt;">
<span style="font-family: "Times New Roman","serif"; font-size: 12pt; line-height: 115%;"><u><strong><em>Peter Maguire – Colorado State University</em></strong></u></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin: 0in 0in 10pt;">
<span style="font-family: "Times New Roman","serif"; font-size: 12pt; line-height: 115%;"><strong><em>We touched base with Dr. Maguire via e-mail and
asked that he share his insights on a range of issues, from the value of pet
insurance to trends in veterinary medicine.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;">
</span>He started by saying that while most savings strategies are obvious,
leaving your pets with friends when traveling and/or getting someone you know
to walk your dog while you’re at work really can help your bottom line.</em></strong></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin: 0in 0in 10pt;">
<span style="font-family: "Times New Roman","serif"; font-size: 12pt; line-height: 115%;"><strong><em>We then moved to more in-depth medical issues.</em></strong></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin: 0in 0in 10pt;">
<span style="font-family: "Times New Roman","serif"; font-size: 12pt; line-height: 115%;"><strong><em>•What types of financial assistance is available to
pet owners?</em></strong></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin: 0in 0in 10pt;">
<span style="font-family: "Times New Roman","serif"; font-size: 12pt; line-height: 115%;"><strong><em>“A.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>There are
groups who are in business to loan money to qualified pet owners (application
is necessary) to help pay vet bills.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;">
</span>Even local banks are sometimes able to offer pet specific loans.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>Ask any vet office and they will typically
have information on what is available to pet owners.</em></strong></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin: 0in 0in 10pt;">
<span style="font-family: "Times New Roman","serif"; font-size: 12pt; line-height: 115%;"><strong><em>B.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>Some vet
offices will extend credit or offer payment plans, but that is less and less
common.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>Vet businesses who have done
that routinely find themselves carrying way too much debt.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>I know some vet practices who have found
themselves carrying monthly debt of unpaid bills in excess of $50K.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>You can’t sustain a business that way.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>The cost of overhead in a vet practice trying
to provide quality health care is extremely high.</em></strong></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin: 0in 0in 10pt;">
<span style="font-family: "Times New Roman","serif"; font-size: 12pt; line-height: 115%;"><strong><em>C.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>More and
more I think people will find foundations established in part to help subsidize
vet health bills–some vet practices may have funds established from donations
for this purpose.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>There also exist
non-profit rescue groups who will help subsidize vet medical costs for animals
that are homeless but adoptable if their health needs can be met.”</em></strong></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin: 0in 0in 10pt;">
<span style="font-family: "Times New Roman","serif"; font-size: 12pt; line-height: 115%;"><strong><em>•Should people buy pet insurance?</em></strong></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin: 0in 0in 10pt;">
<span style="font-family: "Times New Roman","serif"; font-size: 12pt; line-height: 115%;"><strong><em>“I think the true value of pet insurance is
debatable.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>I have heard opinions pro and
con.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>As a vet specialist my experience
has been that many people who have pet insurance have been disappointed when
they find out that their claims have been denied…I have seen this time and
again.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>I think it very important that
people who are considering pet insurance become intimately familiar with the
policies they are considering buying. … I personally think it would be a better
idea for people to establish a kind of Health Savings Account for their
pets.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>When you get a new pet, or in
anticipation of getting a new pet, start putting away a bit of money each month
in a specific account designated for unanticipated vet medical bills/costs.”<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span></em></strong></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin: 0in 0in 10pt;">
<span style="font-family: "Times New Roman","serif"; font-size: 12pt; line-height: 115%;"><strong><em>Finally, Dr. Maguire offered some tips for pet
owners living on a tight budget:</em></strong></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin: 0in 0in 10pt;">
<span style="font-family: "Times New Roman","serif"; font-size: 12pt; line-height: 115%;"><strong><em>1.Realize the realistic costs associated with
responsibly owning a pet before you pick up that new puppy.</em></strong></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin: 0in 0in 10pt;">
<span style="font-family: "Times New Roman","serif"; font-size: 12pt; line-height: 115%;"><strong><em>2.Budget a part of your savings each month into a
fund set aside for unexpected vet med costs.</em></strong></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin: 0in 0in 10pt;">
<span style="font-family: "Times New Roman","serif"; font-size: 12pt; line-height: 115%;"><strong><em>3.Thoroughly research your pet insurance options
before purchasing a policy….or you might be disappointed.</em></strong></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin: 0in 0in 10pt;">
<span style="font-family: "Times New Roman","serif"; font-size: 12pt; line-height: 115%;"><strong><em>4.Look to your community of pet owners to share
walking and boarding costs….do it yourself community sharing.</em></strong></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin: 0in 0in 10pt;">
<span style="font-family: "Times New Roman","serif"; font-size: 12pt; line-height: 115%;"><strong><em>5.MOST IMPORTANT:<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;">
</span>EDUCATE yourself when faced with big medical decisions and big medical
bills.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>Don’t just rely on what you are
told….seek second opinions, seek alternative options, seek a more thorough
understanding of the medical conditions facing your pet.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>The more you educate yourself as a pet owner,
the better you will be prepared to deal with the important and costly medical
decisions on behalf of the pet you love.</em></strong></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin: 0in 0in 10pt;">
<span style="font-family: "Times New Roman","serif"; font-size: 12pt; line-height: 115%;"></span><span style="font-family: "Times New Roman","serif"; font-size: 12pt; line-height: 115%;"><u><strong><em>Joseph Bartges – University of Tennessee</em></strong></u></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin: 0in 0in 10pt;">
<span style="font-family: "Times New Roman","serif"; font-size: 12pt; line-height: 115%;"><strong><em>•What tips would you offer to well-intentioned pet
owners living on a tight budget?</em></strong></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin: 0in 0in 10pt;">
<span style="font-family: "Times New Roman","serif"; font-size: 12pt; line-height: 115%;"><strong><em>“There are several things a pet owner can do when
living on a tight budget.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>Probably the
first question to ask is ‘can I afford a pet?’<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;">
</span>I don’t mean for this to sound callous, and pets are an important part
of our family and important companions; however, it is worse to have a pet and
to not be able to provide adequate care than it is to not own a pet.</em></strong></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin: 0in 0in 10pt;">
<span style="font-family: "Times New Roman","serif"; font-size: 12pt; line-height: 115%;"><strong><em>When searching for a pet, decide on what type of pet
fits the circumstance – a cat, a dog, a bird, etc.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>The associated costs for care are different
depending on the type of chosen pet.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;">
</span>Also, choose wisely as to what breed of pet – especially with dogs.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>It costs a lot more to take care of a Great
Dane than a Chihuahua – especially with feeding, living space, activity,
etc.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>Pure breeds are more likely to have
medical problems than mixed breeds.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;">
</span>Acquire your pet from the local humane society rather than buying from a
breeder.</em></strong></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin: 0in 0in 10pt;">
<span style="font-family: "Times New Roman","serif"; font-size: 12pt; line-height: 115%;"><strong><em>[You should also] shop around – but in particular
find a veterinarian and practice that you like and that work with you. …
Oftentimes, you ‘get what you pay for.’<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;">
</span>For example, you may be able to buy a food that is cheaper than a name
brand; however, if the cheaper food is less digestible and less nutritious,
then the pet will need to eat more and you could not only spend more money on
the cheaper food but it would be less beneficial for your pet.</em></strong></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin: 0in 0in 10pt;">
<span style="font-family: "Times New Roman","serif"; font-size: 12pt; line-height: 115%;"><strong><em>[Finally], prevent the prevent-able.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>If you live in an area where heartworm
disease is prevalent, then the cost of preventing heartworm infection is much
less than treating an active infection.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;">
</span>This is true with many other infectious diseases as well.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>Factor the pet into your budget and have a
“pet fund” where you can put away small amounts of money to build up the
account in case of an emergency.”</em></strong></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin: 0in 0in 10pt;">
<span style="font-family: "Times New Roman","serif"; font-size: 12pt; line-height: 115%;"><strong><em>•Too often it seems that consumers have to choose
between paying exorbitant veterinary costs and putting down their pets as a
result of treatable ailments. What kinds of financial assistance are available
to pet owners? Is it a good idea for folks to buy pet insurance? Are steps
being taken in the veterinary world to make pet care more affordable?</em></strong></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin: 0in 0in 10pt;">
<span style="font-family: "Times New Roman","serif"; font-size: 12pt; line-height: 115%;"><strong><em>“I don’t think ‘exorbitant’ is the right word.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>For example, cancer therapy may cost hundreds
of thousands of dollars in human medicine but only cost hundreds to thousands
of dollars in veterinary medicine.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>The
perception that veterinary costs are exorbitant is probably based on the fact,
at least in part, that insurance pays for human medical costs; therefore,
people don’t really see (or don’t care to actually find out) the cost of their
care.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>The ‘cost’ to them is their
deductible.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>It’s only when we have ‘out
of pocket’ expenses that the cost actually hits home.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>Veterinary medicine does not have this
system, even with pet insurance.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>It
appears to me that many pet insurance policies are still pretty limited
[compared] to what is done in human medicine.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;">
</span>Having a pet as part of the family carries a cost.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>Veterinarians want to do the best that we can
for our patients; however, there is a cost of doing business that cannot be
ignored.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>If veterinarians under-charged
or did not charge, then they would be out of business.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>Some things that pet owners can do are to
investigate pet insurance to see if it is worth the investment and to save
money in a ‘pet account’ to help with unexpected larger veterinary bills.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>Many veterinary practices and university
practices use Care Credit, which allows owners, if approved, to pay larger
bills.”</em></strong></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin: 0in 0in 10pt;">
<span style="font-family: "Times New Roman","serif"; font-size: 12pt; line-height: 115%;"><u><strong><em>Brian Collins – Cornell University</em></strong></u></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin: 0in 0in 10pt;">
<span style="font-family: "Times New Roman","serif"; font-size: 12pt; line-height: 115%;"><strong><em>•What can people do to reduce the cost of pet care?</em></strong></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin: 0in 0in 10pt;">
<span style="font-family: "Times New Roman","serif"; font-size: 12pt; line-height: 115%;"><strong><em>“I would say that probably one of the best things
that people can do to help make pet care less expensive is to make sure that
the pet gets preventative care, which is what veterinarians try to do as much
as possible as far as having animals stay current on vaccinations [and] making
sure they take whatever kind of preventative products are recommended for whatever
geographic area they happen to live in – whether that’s fleas, ticks,
heartworm, things like that.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>Trying to
keep up with those types of things will reduce costs just because it’s cheaper
to prevent than to treat patients.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>It
may seem fairly basic, but trying to keep your pet at a healthy weight, feeding
them nutritious food, exercising your pet – these might not be the kinds of
things you’re looking for, but they’re what I try to focus on.”</em></strong></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin: 0in 0in 10pt;">
<span style="font-family: "Times New Roman","serif"; font-size: 12pt; line-height: 115%;"><strong><em>•Does more expensive necessarily mean better when it
comes to pet food?</em></strong></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin: 0in 0in 10pt;">
<span style="font-family: "Times New Roman","serif"; font-size: 12pt; line-height: 115%;"><strong><em>“You don’t necessarily have to buy the most
expensive dog food on the market.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>In a
lot of cases, veterinarians don’t sell those types of foods, so it’s more of a
recommendation I’d made for when you go to the pet store or wherever you buy
your pet supplies.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>There may be some
other foods that you could buy that your pet would be just as healthy on but
wouldn’t cost an arm and a leg. … On the other hand, I do feel that since pet
feed is the majority of what the pet’s going to be eating, you want to make
sure it is good quality.”</em></strong></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin: 0in 0in 10pt;">
<span style="font-family: "Times New Roman","serif"; font-size: 12pt; line-height: 115%;"><u><strong><em>Takeaways</em></strong></u></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin: 0in 0in 10pt;">
<span style="font-family: "Times New Roman","serif"; font-size: 12pt; line-height: 115%;"><strong><em>Ultimately, we can boil down all of these great
expert insights into a few key takeaways (great for all you skimmers out
there!):</em></strong></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin: 0in 0in 10pt;">
<span style="font-family: "Times New Roman","serif"; font-size: 12pt; line-height: 115%;"><strong><em>•More expensive isn’t necessarily better, but you
also get what you pay for – Pet owners can certainly identify areas where they
can cut costs, but you have to be really careful not to sacrifice the
well-being of your pet in doing so.</em></strong></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin: 0in 0in 10pt;">
<span style="font-family: "Times New Roman","serif"; font-size: 12pt; line-height: 115%;"><strong><em>•Pet care isn’t really as outrageously expensive as
you might think – Part of what makes veterinary procedures seem so expensive is
the fact that people tend to pay out of pocket, whereas we have insurance to
cover most of our own health care costs.</em></strong></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin: 0in 0in 10pt;">
<span style="font-family: "Times New Roman","serif"; font-size: 12pt; line-height: 115%;"><strong><em>•Pet insurance isn’t great – Not only does animal
insurance tend to be pricey, but the policies are also often difficult to
understand and ultimately leave many folks with minimal coverage.</em></strong></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin: 0in 0in 10pt;">
<span style="font-family: "Times New Roman","serif"; font-size: 12pt; line-height: 115%;"><strong><em>•You can set up a savings account for your pet – One
interesting technique broached by multiple experts is to establish an emergency
fund for your pet.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>If you contribute, say,
$50 or $100 per month, you’ll be less likely to get blindsided by an unexpected
veterinary bill.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>This also underscores
the importance of living within your means in other areas of your life.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>If you aren’t already overleveraged, pet care
will seem more affordable.</em></strong></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: "Times New Roman","serif"; font-size: 12pt; line-height: 115%;"><a href="http://www.cardhub.com/edu/reducing-the-cost-of-pet-care/"><span style="color: blue;">http://www.cardhub.com/edu/reducing-the-cost-of-pet-care/</span></a>
</span></div>
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<span style="font-family: "Times New Roman","serif"; line-height: 115%;"><span style="font-size: large;">If you haven't already read Helpful Buckeye's descriptions of pet health insurance, you might benefit from a review of those options: </span><a href="http://questionsondogsandcats.blogspot.com/search/label/Pet%20Health%20Insurance"><span style="font-size: large;">http://questionsondogsandcats.blogspot.com/search/label/Pet%20Health%20Insurance</span></a></span><br />
<span style="font-size: large;"></span><br />
<span style="font-size: large;">Remember to send any comments or suggestions to Helpful Buckeye at: </span><a href="mailto:dogcatvethelp@gmail.com"><span style="font-size: large;">dogcatvethelp@gmail.com</span></a><span style="font-size: large;"> or submit the comment at the appropriate section at the end of this issue of <strong><span style="color: #990000;">Questions On Dogs and Cats</span></strong>.</span></div>
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<em><span style="color: black;">~~The goal of this blog is to
provide general information and advice to help you be a better pet owner and to
have a more rewarding relationship with your pet. This blog does not intend to
replace the professional one-on-one care your pet receives from a practicing
veterinarian. When in doubt about your pet's health, always visit a
veterinarian.~~<o:p></o:p></span></em></div>
</div>
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<br />Helpful Buckeyehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/18134633849820948837noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-16663019142577616.post-43618469094739306722013-03-10T23:00:00.000-07:002013-03-10T23:00:09.458-07:00CHRONIC DISEASES AND OBESITY<div style="text-align: center;">
<strong><em><span style="font-size: large;"></span></em></strong> </div>
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<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhk2VtXI8RUeJDY_wBI55pMu3c64rq610AZPg-1cjGw0-BrmpxF4I10Hp-uWahGFzVWnCZ-oUwWm_ObMJ-VeGe6ZKEdQC35nzGQwDJFdJ7_30JB_XVCoddQcxwOxp8meED9dqMO9oOHIMo/s1600/Obese+Dog.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhk2VtXI8RUeJDY_wBI55pMu3c64rq610AZPg-1cjGw0-BrmpxF4I10Hp-uWahGFzVWnCZ-oUwWm_ObMJ-VeGe6ZKEdQC35nzGQwDJFdJ7_30JB_XVCoddQcxwOxp8meED9dqMO9oOHIMo/s1600/Obese+Dog.jpg" /></a></div>
<strong><em><span style="font-size: large;"></span></em></strong><br />
<strong><em><span style="font-size: large;"></span></em></strong><br />
<strong><em><span style="font-size: large;">"Don't let yesterday use up too much of today."</span></em></strong> </div>
<div style="text-align: center;">
Native American Proverb</div>
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<strong><span style="font-size: x-large;">EOB-8....</span></strong><br />
<strong></strong><br />
<span style="font-size: large;">Helpful Buckeye has discussed obesity in dogs and cats in several previous issues of Questions On Dogs and Cats. Now, we want to take that discussion a bit further and look at some chronic diseases that are actually made worse by a pet being obese. </span><br />
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<span style="font-family: "Times New Roman","serif"; line-height: 115%;"><strong><em><span style="font-size: x-large;">Chronic Disease Grows with Dogs' and Cats' </span></em></strong></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: "Times New Roman","serif"; line-height: 115%;"><strong><em><span style="font-size: x-large;">Weight</span></em></strong></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: "Times New Roman","serif"; font-size: 12pt; line-height: 115%;"><strong><em>Overweight cats are more likely to have other cat
diseases, according to a new poll on dog and cat health.</em></strong></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: "Times New Roman","serif"; font-size: 12pt; line-height: 115%;"><strong><em>Chronic disease is on the rise in cats and dogs, but
owners are hesitant to visit the veterinarian to treat existing conditions,
according to the State of Pet Health 2012 Report, published today by Banfield
Pet Hospital. </em></strong></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: "Times New Roman","serif"; font-size: 12pt; line-height: 115%;"><strong><em>From 2007 to 2011, the overweight or obese dog
incidences increased 37% and overweight or obese cat incidences increased 90%
in cats. Overall, 1 in 5 dogs and cats were classified as obese or overweight
in 2011. </em></strong></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: "Times New Roman","serif"; font-size: 12pt; line-height: 115%;"><strong><em>Obesity or overweight was diagnosed in dogs and cats
diagnosed with other chronic diseases, including:</em></strong></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: "Times New Roman","serif"; font-size: 12pt; line-height: 115%;"><strong><em><span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>•<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>40% of dogs and 37% of cats with arthritis,</em></strong></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: "Times New Roman","serif"; font-size: 12pt; line-height: 115%;"><strong><em><span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>•<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>40% of dogs and 40% of cats with diabetes,</em></strong></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: "Times New Roman","serif"; font-size: 12pt; line-height: 115%;"><strong><em><span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>•<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>40% of dogs with high blood pressure,</em></strong></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: "Times New Roman","serif"; font-size: 12pt; line-height: 115%;"><strong><em><span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>•<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>60% of dogs with hypothyroidism.</em></strong></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: "Times New Roman","serif"; font-size: 12pt; line-height: 115%;"><strong><em>Dog and cat arthritis and chronic kidney disease are
also on the rise. The rate of arthritis diagnoses in cats and dogs rose 28% and
67%, respectively, from 2007 to 2011. At the same time, chronic kidney disease
increased 15% in cats, which are seven times more likely to be diagnosed with
the disease than are dogs. Most cats diagnosed in the early stages of chronic
kidney disease live about two to three years, whereas most cats diagnosed in
later stages live less than six months after diagnosis, according to Banfield. </em></strong></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: "Times New Roman","serif"; font-size: 12pt; line-height: 115%;"></span><span style="font-family: "Times New Roman","serif"; font-size: 12pt; line-height: 115%;"><strong><em>Meanwhile, 36% of dog owners and 28% of cat owners
said they would take their dog or cat to see a veterinarian to manage an
existing condition, according to a survey of 2,000 pet owners conducted by
Banfield and market research firm Kelton. </em></strong></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: "Times New Roman","serif"; font-size: 12pt; line-height: 115%;"><strong><em>“The key to successful early disease diagnosis involves
a partnership between pet owners and their veterinarian to identify changes in
a pet’s overall health and behavior,” said Jeffrey Kausner, DVM, senior vice
president and chief medical officer for Banfield. “In partnership with pet
owners, we hope to reduce the number of pets living with undiagnosed or
unmanaged chronic diseases.”</em></strong></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: "Times New Roman","serif"; font-size: 12pt; line-height: 115%;">Adapted from: <a href="http://www.catchannel.com/news/2012/05/01/chronic-disease-cat-weight-increase.aspx"><span style="color: blue;">http://www.catchannel.com/news/2012/05/01/chronic-disease-cat-weight-increase.aspx</span></a></span></div>
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</o:p></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: "Times New Roman","serif"; line-height: 115%;"><strong><em><span style="font-size: x-large;">Obese dogs at risk of same health condition
</span></em></strong></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: "Times New Roman","serif"; line-height: 115%;"><strong><em><span style="font-size: x-large;">experienced by humans</span></em></strong></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: "Times New Roman","serif"; line-height: 115%;"><strong><em><span style="font-size: large;">The study found one in five obese dogs have
metabolic syndrome</span></em></strong></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: "Times New Roman","serif"; font-size: 12pt; line-height: 115%;"><strong><em>Veterinary scientists at the University of Liverpool
have found that, like humans, obese dogs can experience metabolic syndrome, a
condition that describes multiple health issues that occur in the body at the
same time.</em></strong></span></div>
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjoND7VUsiYg0eRAZRfn1DQ8e-WiZqgntt45ki240ogRmtNK2mToozaFJAcTdK5pKZHjdNEGfZvC4ygOOrkh4KS5KoUA6oQIoF5gcDsXFSXDQUFr3rC1Tf6b08j7AR-H68PiCetI3rDLa8/s1600/ObesedogWEB.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="234" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjoND7VUsiYg0eRAZRfn1DQ8e-WiZqgntt45ki240ogRmtNK2mToozaFJAcTdK5pKZHjdNEGfZvC4ygOOrkh4KS5KoUA6oQIoF5gcDsXFSXDQUFr3rC1Tf6b08j7AR-H68PiCetI3rDLa8/s320/ObesedogWEB.jpg" width="320" /></a></div>
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<span style="font-family: "Times New Roman","serif"; font-size: 12pt; line-height: 115%;"></span><span style="font-family: "Times New Roman","serif"; font-size: 12pt; line-height: 115%;"><strong><em></em></strong></span> </div>
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<span style="font-family: "Times New Roman","serif"; font-size: 12pt; line-height: 115%;"><strong><em>The condition occurs when a number of health
problems, such as increased blood glucose and increased cholesterol levels,
develop together, with the potential to increase the risk of other diseases,
such as cardiovascular disease and diabetes.</em></strong></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: "Times New Roman","serif"; font-size: 12pt; line-height: 115%;"><strong><em><u>Common in obese humans</u></em></strong></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: "Times New Roman","serif"; font-size: 12pt; line-height: 115%;"><strong><em>Although canine obesity is known to cause insulin
resistance, mild hypertension, and high blood cholesterol levels, it has not,
until now, been investigated for links to metabolic syndrome, which is common
in obese humans.</em></strong></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: "Times New Roman","serif"; font-size: 12pt; line-height: 115%;"><strong><em>In a study involving 35 obese dogs, 20% were found
to have metabolic syndrome.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>Similar to
humans with the condition, obese dogs had increased blood insulin, suggested
that the pancreas is working harder than normal to control blood glucose.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>Blood adiponectin, a protein produced by fat
cells that helps control sugars and fats, was also at lower levels than normal.
It is yet to be determined, however, what the exact health impacts of these
issues are on dogs, and if they are similar to the diseases that metabolic
syndrome can cause in humans.</em></strong></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: "Times New Roman","serif"; font-size: 12pt; line-height: 115%;"><strong><em>The team demonstrated, however, that the metabolic
abnormalities identified in obese dogs, improved when they successfully lost
weight.</em></strong></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: "Times New Roman","serif"; font-size: 12pt; line-height: 115%;"><strong><em><u>Health consequences for dogs</u></em></strong></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: "Times New Roman","serif"; font-size: 12pt; line-height: 115%;"></span><span style="font-family: "Times New Roman","serif"; font-size: 12pt; line-height: 115%;"><strong><em>Dr Alex German, from the University’s Department of
Obesity and Endocrinology, said: “It is estimated that one third to a half of
the UK dog population is overweight.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>A
previous study that we conducted showed that a dog’s quality of life improved
with weight loss, resulting in better vitality and reduced emotional distress.</em></strong></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: "Times New Roman","serif"; font-size: 12pt; line-height: 115%;"><strong><em>“This new research creates a lot of new questions
for us.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>It suggests that dogs develop
metabolic syndrome, similar to humans with obesity-related health
problems.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>We now need to investigate,
however, what health consequences this may have for dogs.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>The key point for us is that the problem can
be resolved with successful weight loss, and this must be a priority for pet
owners with obese dogs.”<o:p></o:p></em></strong></span></div>
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Adapted from: <span style="font-family: "Times New Roman","serif"; font-size: 12pt; line-height: 115%; mso-ansi-language: EN-US; mso-bidi-language: AR-SA; mso-fareast-font-family: Calibri; mso-fareast-language: EN-US; mso-fareast-theme-font: minor-latin;"><a href="http://www.liv.ac.uk/ageing-and-chronic-disease/news/articles/obese-dogs-at-risk-of-same-health-condition-experienced-by-humans/"><span style="color: blue;">http://www.liv.ac.uk/ageing-and-chronic-disease/news/articles/obese-dogs-at-risk-of-same-health-condition-experienced-by-humans/</span></a></span></div>
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</span></div>
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<span style="font-family: "Times New Roman","serif"; line-height: 115%;"><strong><em><span style="font-size: x-large;">Newest Banfield study reveals chronic diseases</span></em></strong></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: "Times New Roman","serif"; line-height: 115%;"><strong><em> <span style="font-size: x-large;">are
on the rise</span></em></strong></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: "Times New Roman","serif"; font-size: large; line-height: 115%;"><strong><em>A new study by Portland-based Banfield Pet Hospital
reveals that chronic diseases such as obesity, arthritis, kidney disease,
thyroid disease and heart disease in cats and dogs have risen dramatically in
the past five years.</em></strong></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: "Times New Roman","serif"; font-size: large; line-height: 115%;"><strong><em>The second-annual “State of Pet Health” report,
compiled by Banfield’s internal research team, analyzed medical data from 2
million dogs and nearly 430,000 cats treats at Banfield’s 800 hospitals
nationwide last year. The company says the study is the largest industry report
of its kind.</em></strong></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: "Times New Roman","serif"; font-size: large; line-height: 115%;"><strong><em>Some of the report’s highlights include:</em></strong></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: "Times New Roman","serif"; font-size: large; line-height: 115%;"><strong><em>•Overweight and obesity increased by 37 percent in
dogs and 90 percent in cats over the past five years. That comes down to about
one in five cats and dogs.</em></strong></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: "Times New Roman","serif"; font-size: large; line-height: 115%;"><strong><em>•Yet, 76 percent of dog owners and 69 percent of cat
owners don’t think their pet has a weight problem. What’s more, the report
found that pet owners are unaware their pet may be sick.</em></strong></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin: 0in 0in 10pt;">
<span style="font-family: "Times New Roman","serif"; font-size: large; line-height: 115%;"><strong><em>•Only 36 percent of dog owners and 28 percent of cat
owners said they would take their pet to see a veterinarian to address an
illness or condition.</em></strong></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: "Times New Roman","serif"; font-size: large; line-height: 115%;"><strong><em>“The key to successful early disease diagnosis
involves a partnership between pet owners and their veterinarian to identify
changes in a pet’s overall health and behavior,” said Dr. Jeffrey Klausner,
senior vice president and chief medical officer for Banfield Pet Hospital.</em></strong></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin: 0in 0in 10pt;">
<span style="font-family: "Times New Roman","serif"; font-size: large; line-height: 115%;"><strong><em>The report suggests owners should be concerned,
since obesity correlates to arthritis, diabetes, high blood pressure,
hypothyroidism and other chronic conditions that can decrease a pet’s quality
of life.</em></strong></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: "Times New Roman","serif"; font-size: large; line-height: 115%;"><strong><em>Another point the report revealed is that cat owners
appear to be less likely to seek medical care for their felines: Banfield
treated 1.5 million more dogs than cats in 2011, despite the fact that there
are more cats than dogs in the U.S.</em></strong></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: "Times New Roman","serif"; font-size: large; line-height: 115%;"><strong><em>Kidney disease went up by 15 percent among cats
since 2007 and it’s much more likely to occur in cats than dogs (1 in every 12
senior cats were diagnosed with kidney disease last year). </em></strong></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: "Times New Roman","serif"; line-height: 115%;"><strong><em><span style="font-size: large;">It can also be deadly: Most cats diagnosed early
with kidney disease live only one to two years but often live less than six
months if it’s caught in later stages.<o:p></o:p></span></em></strong></span></div>
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<span style="font-size: large;">Adapted from: <span style="font-family: "Times New Roman","serif"; font-size: 12pt; line-height: 115%; mso-ansi-language: EN-US; mso-bidi-language: AR-SA; mso-fareast-font-family: Calibri; mso-fareast-language: EN-US; mso-fareast-theme-font: minor-latin;"><a href="http://www.oregonlive.com/pets/index.ssf/2012/05/newest_banfield_study_reveals.html"><span style="color: blue;">http://www.oregonlive.com/pets/index.ssf/2012/05/newest_banfield_study_reveals.html</span></a></span></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin: 0in 0in 10pt;">
<span style="font-family: "Times New Roman","serif"; font-size: 12pt; line-height: 115%; mso-ansi-language: EN-US; mso-bidi-language: AR-SA; mso-fareast-font-family: Calibri; mso-fareast-language: EN-US; mso-fareast-theme-font: minor-latin;"><span style="font-size: large;">If you didn't think your obese pet had much to worry about before you read all this information, perhaps now you'll understand some of the far-reaching ramifications that are associated with obesity. This would probably be a good time for a short review of obesity and how best to fight the battle against this serious problem</span>.</span><span style="font-family: "Times New Roman","serif"; font-size: 12pt; line-height: 115%; mso-ansi-language: EN-US; mso-bidi-language: AR-SA; mso-fareast-font-family: Calibri; mso-fareast-language: EN-US; mso-fareast-theme-font: minor-latin;"></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: "Times New Roman","serif"; line-height: 115%;"><strong><em><span style="font-size: x-large;">Canine Obesity: Help Your Dog Lose Weight</span></em></strong></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin: 0in 0in 10pt;">
<span style="font-family: "Times New Roman","serif"; font-size: 12pt; line-height: 115%;"><strong><em>By Dr. Donna Spector for Vetstreet</em></strong></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: "Times New Roman","serif"; font-size: 12pt; line-height: 115%;"><strong><em>U.S. dogs are fatter than ever. In fact, the
Association for Pet Obesity Prevention (APOP) estimates that 53 percent of U.S.
dogs are overweight or obese. Obese dogs are more likely to suffer from
debilitating medical conditions such as diabetes, arthritis, heart and lung
disease, high blood pressure, compromised immune function and even the
development of some cancers. Obesity can be life-threatening and is a leading
cause of preventable illness and death in dogs. It has been documented that
dogs maintaining an ideal body weight live 15 percent longer, and with less
disease, than overweight dogs. </em></strong></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: "Times New Roman","serif"; font-size: 12pt; line-height: 115%;"><u><strong><em>How To Know If Your Dog Is Obese</em></strong></u></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: "Times New Roman","serif"; font-size: 12pt; line-height: 115%;"><strong><em>It can be
difficult for an owner to believe that an 80-pound dog is 20 pounds overweight.
A recent study conducted by APOP reveals as a nation we are so accustomed to
seeing fat dogs that we don’t seem to recognize it anymore. If you’re not sure,
pat your hands along your dog’s sides from head to tail. In a healthy-weight
dog, you should be able to just feel the ribs. Also, take a look at your dog
from the side. Most dogs should have a slightly “tucked up” profile. If all you
feel are fat pads on your dog’s sides, or if his side profile is more
sausage-like than sleek, chances are your friend may need to shed a few.</em></strong></span></div>
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjx7aOUFJjrkeoiWJBG2DHE4KkWYYLG6k65OutotRs7sSjCCu43htMb6JEFiUtLu6-KzV-MhNVtJBsGnlbfc-kBeb44ZEWmfL3IOijr6mqUdMHr8w14FnPhIWHI2-1-0LsWyxxqqUTOy_g/s1600/Overweight+Dog.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="219" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjx7aOUFJjrkeoiWJBG2DHE4KkWYYLG6k65OutotRs7sSjCCu43htMb6JEFiUtLu6-KzV-MhNVtJBsGnlbfc-kBeb44ZEWmfL3IOijr6mqUdMHr8w14FnPhIWHI2-1-0LsWyxxqqUTOy_g/s320/Overweight+Dog.jpg" width="320" /></a></div>
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<span style="font-family: "Times New Roman","serif"; font-size: 12pt; line-height: 115%;"><strong><em>The first thing you should do is get your vet
involved. Take your dog for a checkup as there are underlying conditions that
can contribute to obesity, including diabetes, Cushing’s disease and
hypothyroidism. Have your veterinarian determine your dog’s current and ideal
body weight and then tell you how many calories your dog can eat each day in
order to reach that ideal weight. Your goal should be to work toward that ideal
weight over a several-month period.</em></strong></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: "Times New Roman","serif"; font-size: 12pt; line-height: 115%;"><u><strong><em>How To Feed For Good Health</em></strong></u></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin: 0in 0in 10pt;">
<span style="font-family: "Times New Roman","serif"; font-size: 12pt; line-height: 115%;"><strong><em>Dogs should
not be fed “free choice” as they tend to eat when bored instead of when hungry
-- which contributes to ever-expanding canine waistlines. Dogs should be fed
two to four times each day, and all food portions should be measured exactly
with a standard measuring cup.</em></strong></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin: 0in 0in 10pt;">
<span style="font-family: "Times New Roman","serif"; font-size: 12pt; line-height: 115%;"><strong><em>Dog food label recommendations must be used
cautiously. These guidelines are generic and most likely represent overfeeding
for many U.S. dogs. Dogs must be fed according to their ideal body weight --
not their current weight if they are obese. If your dog is even mildly
overweight, feeding according to the recommendations found on the food bag will
result in continued weight gains. </em></strong></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin: 0in 0in 10pt;">
<span style="font-family: "Times New Roman","serif"; font-size: 12pt; line-height: 115%;"><u><strong><em>What To Feed?</em></strong></u></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin: 0in 0in 10pt;">
<span style="font-family: "Times New Roman","serif"; font-size: 12pt; line-height: 115%;"><strong><em>Most regular
dog foods are quite high in calories -- usually between 450 and 550 calories
per cup or can -- making it very easy to unknowingly overfeed a dog and fail at
weight-loss attempts. You must find out how many calories are in a cup or can
of your dog’s food and feed it according to the number of calories he requires.</em></strong></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: "Times New Roman","serif"; font-size: 12pt; line-height: 115%;"><strong><em>There is not one best diet for weight loss in dogs,
and your vet can help determine what might work best for your dog. While weight
loss can often be achieved by feeding less of a dog's regular food, some dogs
feel more satisfied on higher-fiber or higher-protein foods. </em></strong></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: "Times New Roman","serif"; font-size: 12pt; line-height: 115%;"><strong><em>Weight loss is often easier to achieve by adding
canned food to your dog’s feeding regimen. In general, it has higher protein,
lower carbohydrates and similar or fewer calories when compared to a
similar-sized quantity of the same dry food. </em></strong></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: "Times New Roman","serif"; font-size: 12pt; line-height: 115%;"><u><strong><em>How To Give Treats</em></strong></u></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin: 0in 0in 10pt;">
<span style="font-family: "Times New Roman","serif"; font-size: 12pt; line-height: 115%;"><strong><em>Dogs should
be given no more than 10 percent of their daily calories as treats. Treats are
a huge source of “hidden” calories, and dogs are often grossly overfed because
treat calories are not accounted for. If the calories per treat are not printed
on the treat package, call the company and ask for this information. </em></strong></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: "Times New Roman","serif"; font-size: 12pt; line-height: 115%;"><strong><em>This is an alarming treat statistic: The average
premium pig ear has 230 calories and when given to a 40-pound dog is the same
calorie punch as an average adult eating two double cheeseburgers as a treat in
addition to their normal meals. </em></strong></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin: 0in 0in 10pt;">
<span style="font-family: "Times New Roman","serif"; font-size: 12pt; line-height: 115%;"><strong><em>The best and most healthful treat choices are fresh
fruits or vegetables such as carrots, cucumbers, green beans or apples.</em></strong></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin: 0in 0in 10pt;">
<span style="font-family: "Times New Roman","serif"; font-size: 12pt; line-height: 115%;"><u><strong><em>Get Exercise Right</em></strong></u></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: "Times New Roman","serif"; font-size: 12pt; line-height: 115%;"></span><span style="font-family: "Times New Roman","serif"; font-size: 12pt; line-height: 115%;"><strong><em>Not only does an obese dog need to eat less, he
needs to exercise more. Get your dog moving -- take a walk or run, play fetch,
go swimming, go up and down the stairs! Provide at least 30 minutes of brisk
exercise every day to facilitate weight loss. </em></strong></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: "Times New Roman","serif"; font-size: 12pt; line-height: 115%;"><u><strong><em>Monitoring Weight Loss</em></strong></u></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: "Times New Roman","serif"; font-size: 12pt; line-height: 115%;"><strong><em>Weigh your dog every one to two weeks to monitor his
weight-loss progress. Overweight or obese dogs should lose one to two percent
of their body weight each week. If your dog is not losing weight, his daily
calories may need to be restricted further. </em></strong></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: "Times New Roman","serif"; font-size: 12pt; line-height: 115%;"><strong><em>Eating right and being physically active aren’t just
a “diet” for your dog -- they are keys to a healthy lifestyle and will reduce
your dog’s risk of chronic disease and increase his chance for a longer life.<o:p></o:p></em></strong></span></div>
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Adapted from: <span style="font-family: "Times New Roman","serif"; font-size: 12pt; line-height: 115%; mso-ansi-language: EN-US; mso-bidi-language: AR-SA; mso-fareast-font-family: Calibri; mso-fareast-language: EN-US; mso-fareast-theme-font: minor-latin;"><a href="http://www.huffingtonpost.com/2012/12/08/dog-weight-loss-canine-obesity-_n_2258332.html"><span style="color: blue;"></span></a><span style="color: blue;"><a href="http://www.huffingtonpost.com/2012/12/08/dog-weight-loss-canine-obesity-_n_2258332.html">http://www.huffingtonpost.com/2012/12/08/dog-weight-loss-canine-obesity-_n_2258332.html</a></span><a href="http://www.huffingtonpost.com/2012/12/08/dog-weight-loss-canine-obesity-_n_2258332.html"></a></span><span style="font-family: "Times New Roman","serif"; font-size: 12pt; line-height: 115%; mso-ansi-language: EN-US; mso-bidi-language: AR-SA; mso-fareast-font-family: Calibri; mso-fareast-language: EN-US; mso-fareast-theme-font: minor-latin;"></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin: 0in 0in 10pt;">
<span style="font-family: "Times New Roman","serif"; font-size: 12pt; line-height: 115%; mso-ansi-language: EN-US; mso-bidi-language: AR-SA; mso-fareast-font-family: Calibri; mso-fareast-language: EN-US; mso-fareast-theme-font: minor-latin;">Any questions or comments should be sent to Helpful Buckeye at: <a href="mailto:dogcatvethelp@gmail.com">dogcatvethelp@gmail.com</a> or submitted in the Coimment section following the end of this issue.</span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin: 0in 0in 0pt;">
<em><span style="color: black;">~~The goal of this blog is to
provide general information and advice to help you be a better pet owner and to
have a more rewarding relationship with your pet. This blog does not intend to
replace the professional one-on-one care your pet receives from a practicing
veterinarian. When in doubt about your pet's health, always visit a
veterinarian.~~<o:p></o:p></span></em></div>
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</div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin: 0in 0in 10pt;">
<span style="font-family: "Times New Roman","serif"; font-size: 12pt; line-height: 115%; mso-ansi-language: EN-US; mso-bidi-language: AR-SA; mso-fareast-font-family: Calibri; mso-fareast-language: EN-US; mso-fareast-theme-font: minor-latin;"> </span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin: 0in 0in 10pt;">
<span style="font-family: "Times New Roman","serif"; font-size: 12pt; line-height: 115%; mso-ansi-language: EN-US; mso-bidi-language: AR-SA; mso-fareast-font-family: Calibri; mso-fareast-language: EN-US; mso-fareast-theme-font: minor-latin;"></span> </div>
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<span style="font-family: "Times New Roman","serif"; font-size: 12pt; line-height: 115%; mso-ansi-language: EN-US; mso-bidi-language: AR-SA; mso-fareast-font-family: Calibri; mso-fareast-language: EN-US; mso-fareast-theme-font: minor-latin;"></span> </div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin: 0in 0in 10pt;">
<span style="font-family: "Times New Roman","serif"; font-size: 12pt; line-height: 115%; mso-ansi-language: EN-US; mso-bidi-language: AR-SA; mso-fareast-font-family: Calibri; mso-fareast-language: EN-US; mso-fareast-theme-font: minor-latin;"></span> </div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin: 0in 0in 10pt;">
<span style="font-family: "Times New Roman","serif"; font-size: 12pt; line-height: 115%; mso-ansi-language: EN-US; mso-bidi-language: AR-SA; mso-fareast-font-family: Calibri; mso-fareast-language: EN-US; mso-fareast-theme-font: minor-latin;"></span> </div>
<br />
</div>
Helpful Buckeyehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/18134633849820948837noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-16663019142577616.post-38708012106066130042013-03-03T23:00:00.000-07:002013-03-09T13:58:16.358-07:00LIMPING DOGS AND CATS<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEivdNoABWC9oeap4g9jhMCxCXLtd8DZlqc0FWzqbrv1wZySueaQzF8vjPUwhphLh_NiDcbhnf6wVggzh8FuPhpbgO8hlyRjsh2ZEcaA3WCKTcSjNiZs9LK1ZekA5TR0-OFTERgAC7h283U/s1600/Pisces.gif" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEivdNoABWC9oeap4g9jhMCxCXLtd8DZlqc0FWzqbrv1wZySueaQzF8vjPUwhphLh_NiDcbhnf6wVggzh8FuPhpbgO8hlyRjsh2ZEcaA3WCKTcSjNiZs9LK1ZekA5TR0-OFTERgAC7h283U/s1600/Pisces.gif" /></a></div>
<br />
<div style="text-align: center;">
<strong><span style="font-size: x-large;">PISCES RULE!!!</span></strong></div>
<br />
<span style="font-size: large;"><span style="font-family: Times, "Times New Roman", serif;">...now that I've gotten that out of the way, let's get on with our topic for this week</span>.</span><br />
<br />
<strong><span style="font-size: x-large;">EOB-9....</span></strong><br />
<br />
<span style="font-family: Times, "Times New Roman", serif; font-size: large;">As I was putting together several topics for presentation in future issues of <strong><span style="color: #990000;">Questions On Dogs and Cats</span></strong>, I realized that, in almost 5 years of doing this, we haven't discussed lameness in your pets. Lameness (or limping), whichever you prefer, is one of the most likely things a pet owner will notice if they watch their pet over a period of time. The British, in their own special manner, might refer to this as "a disorder of the gait." </span><br />
<span style="font-family: Times, "Times New Roman", serif; font-size: large;"></span><br />
<span style="font-family: Times, "Times New Roman", serif; font-size: large;">Perhaps the following letter from a dog owner will remind you of a similar occurrence involving your own pet:</span><br />
<br />
<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin: 0in 0in 10pt; text-align: center;">
<span style="font-family: "Times New Roman","serif"; font-size: 12pt; line-height: 115%;"><strong><em><span style="font-size: x-large;">Persistent limp in a pet should not go ignored</span> <o:p></o:p></em></strong></span></div>
<strong><em>
</em></strong><br />
<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin: 0in 0in 10pt;">
<span style="font-family: "Times New Roman","serif"; font-size: 12pt; line-height: 115%;"><strong><em>Christi Camblor, D.V.M. </em></strong></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: "Times New Roman","serif"; font-size: 12pt; line-height: 115%;"><strong><em><u>Question:</u> We have a 1-year-old, 83-pound pit bull who is
very fit, but every couple of months he starts limping. We figure because he is
so muscular, maybe he just pulls a muscle. His limping usually stops within one
or two weeks. Any ideas on what might be causing this limp? </em></strong></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: "Times New Roman","serif"; font-size: 12pt; line-height: 115%;"><strong><em><u>Answer:</u> Anytime there is a persistent limp in a companion
animal, a veterinary visit is in order. A veterinarian can perform a thorough
orthopedic exam, plus or minus X-rays, to determine the underlying cause and
recommend the appropriate treatment. </em></strong></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: "Times New Roman","serif"; font-size: 12pt; line-height: 115%;"><strong><em>Sometimes dogs and cats can have soft-tissue
injuries that resolve with rest. However, more serious injuries, such as
fractures and bony injury, joint disease or torn ligaments, are also common and
do require specialized treatment, sometimes even surgery. </em></strong></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: "Times New Roman","serif"; font-size: 12pt; line-height: 115%;"><strong><em>In other cases, there may even be a systemic illness
or tick-borne disease, which can cause joint pain and would warrant immediate
medical intervention. </em></strong></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: "Times New Roman","serif"; font-size: 12pt; line-height: 115%;"><strong><em>Whatever the underlying cause, it's critical to
identify the issue and determine the best course of treatment. Veterinarians
can also prescribe pain medications and anti-inflammatories to help your pet
stay comfortable while he heals. It is important never to give your pet any
medications yourself, as many human medications can have very serious side effects,
including death, when administered to companion animals.<o:p></o:p></em></strong></span></div>
Adapted from: <span style="font-family: "Times New Roman","serif"; font-size: 12pt; line-height: 115%; mso-ansi-language: EN-US; mso-bidi-language: AR-SA; mso-fareast-font-family: Calibri; mso-fareast-language: EN-US; mso-fareast-theme-font: minor-latin;"><a href="http://www.sfgate.com/pets/askthevet/article/Persistent-limp-in-a-pet-should-not-go-ignored-2323840.php"><span style="color: blue;">http://www.sfgate.com/pets/askthevet/article/Persistent-limp-in-a-pet-should-not-go-ignored-2323840.php</span></a></span><br />
<br />
<span style="font-family: Times, "Times New Roman", serif; font-size: large;">The really important thoughts to take from this response are that there could be many different causes for your pet to be favoring one of its legs and that you really do need to have a veterinarian examine your pet in order to zero in on what that cause might be.</span><br />
<br />
<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin: 0in 0in 10pt; text-align: center;">
<span style="font-family: "Times New Roman","serif"; font-size: 12pt; line-height: 115%;"><strong><em><span style="font-size: x-large;">Limping and Lameness in Dogs<o:p></o:p></span></em></strong></span></div>
<br />
<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin: 0in 0in 10pt;">
<span style="font-family: "Times New Roman","serif"; font-size: 12pt; line-height: 115%;"><strong><em>Limping indicates a structural problem, pain, or
weakness in the involved leg. It is a common sign of bone and joint disease,
but it also occurs with muscle and nerve injuries.</em></strong></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin: 0in 0in 10pt;">
<span style="font-family: "Times New Roman","serif"; font-size: 12pt; line-height: 115%;"><strong><em>Determining the Cause</em></strong></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin: 0in 0in 10pt;">
<span style="font-family: "Times New Roman","serif"; font-size: 12pt; line-height: 115%;"><strong><em>Consider the history and circumstances surrounding
the appearance of lameness. Did the lameness appear spontaneously or was there
an injury? Which leg is involved? A dog often holds up the paw or places less
weight on a painful leg, especially one that has been recently injured. A dog usually
takes shorter steps on a painful or weak leg. You may notice that his head bobs
or drops as his weight comes down on the painful leg. With chronic lameness,
the dog may simply take very short strides with no obvious limp. This is also
true if more than one leg is injured or hurts. The dog’s head bobs up on the
painful side and down on the side with the sound leg.</em></strong></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin: 0in 0in 10pt;">
<span style="font-family: "Times New Roman","serif"; font-size: 12pt; line-height: 115%;"><strong><em>Having identified which leg is involved, try to
identify the specific site and possible cause. First examine the foot and look
between the toes. Many cases of lameness are due to foot injuries such as
sprains, pad lacerations, broken nails, and penetrating puncture wounds caused
by thorns and splinters. Carefully feel the leg from the toes up. Locate areas
of tenderness by applying gentle pressure. You may also feel areas of swelling.
Next, flex and extend all joints from the toes to the shoulder looking for
resistance (lack of easy movement). Resistance is a sign of joint pain, which
will be evident when the dog attempts to pull the leg free. If you aren’t sure
if something you feel is normal, check the dog’s other leg. You have one for a
comparison for both front and rear leg problems.<o:p></o:p></em></strong></span></div>
Adapted from: <span style="font-family: "Times New Roman","serif"; font-size: 12pt; line-height: 115%; mso-ansi-language: EN-US; mso-bidi-language: AR-SA; mso-fareast-font-family: Calibri; mso-fareast-language: EN-US; mso-fareast-theme-font: minor-latin;"><a href="http://pets.webmd.com/dogs/limping-lameness-dogs"><span style="color: blue;">http://pets.webmd.com/dogs/limping-lameness-dogs</span></a></span><br />
<br />
<span style="font-family: Times, "Times New Roman", serif; font-size: large;">OK, now you've had a chance to look at the leg that is apparently bothering your dog. You may or may not have come to a conclusion as to what is causing the lameness. Your next step should be to have your veterinarian evaluate the situation.</span><br />
<br />
<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin: 0in 0in 10pt; text-align: center;">
<span style="font-family: "Times New Roman","serif"; font-size: 12pt; line-height: 115%;"><span style="font-size: x-large;"><strong><em>Lameness (Limping) in Dogs<o:p></o:p></em></strong></span></span></div>
<br />
<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin: 0in 0in 10pt;">
<span style="font-family: "Times New Roman","serif"; font-size: 12pt; line-height: 115%;"><strong><em>By: Dr. Nicholas Trout</em></strong></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin: 0in 0in 10pt;">
<span style="font-family: "Times New Roman","serif"; font-size: 12pt; line-height: 115%;"><strong><em>Canine lameness, or limping, can be caused by any
underlying reason for a dog to have pain. Any decrease in an animal's ability
to bear weight on a limb or a decrease in the normal mobility and function of a
limb can be considered lameness. Lameness can be extremely subtle or profound,
affecting one limb or several limbs. It can be intermittent or constant, worse
in the morning, worse at night, worse after rest, worse after or during
exercise.</em></strong></span><br />
<strong><em></em></strong><br />
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg2YFFN0yXMv8fGWiiI5lpnAmFPc4d0__AcwAT_SP3L3t1PWxE8h9R2rl_yBvlcMw5otw8K6JB2jMGOmQsnuMWVVsNHMI1Iaep_zMhwmfEUr5p4SQ4Cm7aYTsMoHH8ULbfZ06fMQO8oeUo/s1600/Sore+Puppies.bmp" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg2YFFN0yXMv8fGWiiI5lpnAmFPc4d0__AcwAT_SP3L3t1PWxE8h9R2rl_yBvlcMw5otw8K6JB2jMGOmQsnuMWVVsNHMI1Iaep_zMhwmfEUr5p4SQ4Cm7aYTsMoHH8ULbfZ06fMQO8oeUo/s1600/Sore+Puppies.bmp" /></a></div>
<span style="font-family: "Times New Roman","serif"; font-size: 12pt; line-height: 115%;"><strong><em>There is no breed, age or sex predeliction for
lameness. Lameness may be associated with a traumatic event, such as being hit
by a car, or it may develop gradually, as in a bone tumor in an affected leg.
The underlying cause of a lameness may be life threatening or it may be
detrimental to a good quality of life such as debilitating and painful hip
dysplasia and its associated arthritis.</em></strong></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin: 0in 0in 10pt;">
<span style="font-family: "Times New Roman","serif"; font-size: 12pt; line-height: 115%;"><u><strong><em>What to Watch For</em></strong></u></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin: 0in 0in 10pt;">
<span style="font-family: "Times New Roman","serif"; font-size: 12pt; line-height: 115%;"><strong><em>• Obvious inability to walk or run normally </em></strong></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin: 0in 0in 10pt;">
<span style="font-family: "Times New Roman","serif"; font-size: 12pt; line-height: 115%;"><strong><em>• Crying behavior suggesting that your dog is in
pain</em></strong></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin: 0in 0in 10pt;">
<span style="font-family: "Times New Roman","serif"; font-size: 12pt; line-height: 115%;"><strong><em>• Reluctance to perform normal activity, like going
up or down stairs</em></strong></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin: 0in 0in 10pt;">
<span style="font-family: "Times New Roman","serif"; font-size: 12pt; line-height: 115%;"><strong><em>• Refusing to place any weight on a leg</em></strong></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin: 0in 0in 10pt;">
<span style="font-family: "Times New Roman","serif"; font-size: 12pt; line-height: 115%;"></span><span style="font-family: "Times New Roman","serif"; font-size: 12pt; line-height: 115%;"><u><strong><em>Diagnosis</em></strong></u></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin: 0in 0in 10pt;">
<span style="font-family: "Times New Roman","serif"; font-size: 12pt; line-height: 115%;"><strong><em><span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>• History and
physical. Your veterinarian will take a detailed history with regard to the
onset, duration and variations in the lameness. S/he will also carefully watch
your dog stand, sit, walk and trot. Your veterinarian will also give your dog a
general physical examination that includes a careful orthopedic examination.
During the physical examination, they will evaluate where your dog is most
painful and for any palpable abnormalities of the bones or joints. </em></strong></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin: 0in 0in 10pt;">
<span style="font-family: "Times New Roman","serif"; font-size: 12pt; line-height: 115%;"><strong><em>• Neurologic exam. Not all lameness is due to
orthopedic disorders. A neurological examination of the limb(s) may be
suggested if your veterinarian believes the problem may lie at the level of the
brain, spinal cord, nerves or muscles that they supply.</em></strong></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin: 0in 0in 10pt;">
<span style="font-family: "Times New Roman","serif"; font-size: 12pt; line-height: 115%;"><strong><em>• Radiographs. Dependent on the physical examination
findings, radiographs may be taken of painful or suspicious areas of a limb(s).
Opposite limbs may also be X-rayed for comparison or where bilateral (both
sides) disease is suspected.</em></strong></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin: 0in 0in 10pt;">
<span style="font-family: "Times New Roman","serif"; font-size: 12pt; line-height: 115%;"><strong><em>• Other diagnostic tests may be performed such as
joint taps (removal of joint fluid and evaluation of this material by a
pathologist), ultrasound, CT, MRI, myelography (a dye study of the spinal
canal), biopsy, and contrast radiography such as arthrography where dye is
injected into a joint.<o:p></o:p></em></strong></span></div>
<strong><em>
</em></strong>Adapted from:<strong><em> </em></strong><span style="font-family: "Times New Roman","serif"; font-size: 12pt; line-height: 115%; mso-ansi-language: EN-US; mso-bidi-language: AR-SA; mso-fareast-font-family: Calibri; mso-fareast-language: EN-US; mso-fareast-theme-font: minor-latin;"><a href="http://www.petplace.com/dogs/lameness-in-dogs/page1.aspx"><span style="color: blue;">http://www.petplace.com/dogs/lameness-in-dogs/page1.aspx</span></a></span><br />
<span style="font-family: "Times New Roman","serif"; font-size: 12pt; line-height: 115%; mso-ansi-language: EN-US; mso-bidi-language: AR-SA; mso-fareast-font-family: Calibri; mso-fareast-language: EN-US; mso-fareast-theme-font: minor-latin;"></span><br />
<span style="font-family: "Times New Roman","serif"; font-size: 12pt; line-height: 115%; mso-ansi-language: EN-US; mso-bidi-language: AR-SA; mso-fareast-font-family: Calibri; mso-fareast-language: EN-US; mso-fareast-theme-font: minor-latin;">
</span><br />
<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin: 0in 0in 10pt; text-align: center;">
<span style="font-family: "Times New Roman","serif"; line-height: 115%;"><strong><em><span style="font-size: x-large;">Disorder of the Gait in Dogs</span> </em></strong></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin: 0in 0in 10pt;">
<span style="font-family: "Times New Roman","serif"; font-size: 12pt; line-height: 115%;"><strong><em>Lameness is a clinical sign of some disorder that
results in a disturbance in the gait and the ability to move the body about,
typically in response to pain, injury, or abnormal anatomy. </em></strong></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin: 0in 0in 10pt;">
<span style="font-family: "Times New Roman","serif"; font-size: 12pt; line-height: 115%;"><strong><em><u>Symptoms and Types</u> </em></strong></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin: 0in 0in 10pt;">
<span style="font-family: "Times New Roman","serif"; font-size: 12pt; line-height: 115%;"><strong><em>Lameness may involve one or more limbs and varies in
severity from subtle pain or tenderness to an inability to place any weight on
the limb (i.e., carrying the leg). If only one forelimb is involved, the head
and neck move upward when the affected limb is placed on the ground and drops
when the unaffected limb bears weight. Meanwhile, if only one hind limb is
involved, the pelvis drops when affected leg bears weight, rises when weight is
lifted. And if both hind limbs are involved, forelimbs are carried lower to
shift weight forward. In addition, lameness may become worse after strenuous
activity or alleviate with rest.</em></strong></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin: 0in 0in 10pt;">
<span style="font-family: "Times New Roman","serif"; font-size: 12pt; line-height: 115%;"><strong><em>Other signs and symptoms associated with lameness
include: </em></strong></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin: 0in 0in 10pt;">
<span style="font-family: "Times New Roman","serif"; font-size: 12pt; line-height: 115%;"><strong><em><span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>•Pain</em></strong></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin: 0in 0in 10pt;">
<span style="font-family: "Times New Roman","serif"; font-size: 12pt; line-height: 115%;"><strong><em><span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>•Decreased
range of motion</em></strong></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin: 0in 0in 10pt;">
<span style="font-family: "Times New Roman","serif"; font-size: 12pt; line-height: 115%;"><strong><em><span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>•Loss of
muscle mass (muscle atrophy)</em></strong></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin: 0in 0in 10pt;">
<span style="font-family: "Times New Roman","serif"; font-size: 12pt; line-height: 115%;"><strong><em><span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>•Abnormal
posture when standing, getting up, lying down, or sitting</em></strong></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin: 0in 0in 10pt;">
<span style="font-family: "Times New Roman","serif"; font-size: 12pt; line-height: 115%;"><strong><em><span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>•Abnormal
gait when walking, trotting, climbing stairs, or doing figure-eights</em></strong></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin: 0in 0in 10pt;">
<span style="font-family: "Times New Roman","serif"; font-size: 12pt; line-height: 115%;"><strong><em><span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>•Nervous
system signs — confusion, trembling, etc.</em></strong></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin: 0in 0in 10pt;">
<span style="font-family: "Times New Roman","serif"; font-size: 12pt; line-height: 115%;"><strong><em><span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>•Bones and/or
joints may be abnormal in size, shape</em></strong></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin: 0in 0in 10pt;">
<span style="font-family: "Times New Roman","serif"; font-size: 12pt; line-height: 115%;"><strong><em><span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>•Grating
sound with joint movement </em></strong></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin: 0in 0in 10pt;">
<span style="font-family: "Times New Roman","serif"; font-size: 12pt; line-height: 115%;"><u><strong><em>Causes </em></strong></u></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin: 0in 0in 10pt;">
<span style="font-family: "Times New Roman","serif"; font-size: 12pt; line-height: 115%;"><strong><em>The list of possible causes (differential diagnosis) will depend on many things, among them the involvement of either a front leg or a rear leg and the relative age of the animal. </em></strong></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin: 0in 0in 10pt;">
<span style="font-family: "Times New Roman","serif"; font-size: 12pt; line-height: 115%;"><strong><em>Forelimb lameness in still growing dogs that are
less than 12 months of age;</em></strong></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin: 0in 0in 10pt;">
<span style="font-family: "Times New Roman","serif"; font-size: 12pt; line-height: 115%;"><strong><em>Forelimb lameness in mature dogs that are older than
12 months of age;</em></strong></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin: 0in 0in 10pt;">
<span style="font-family: "Times New Roman","serif"; font-size: 12pt; line-height: 115%;"><strong><em>Hindlimb lameness in growing dogs that are less than
12 months of age;</em></strong></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin: 0in 0in 10pt;">
<strong><em><span style="font-family: "Times New Roman","serif"; font-size: 12pt; line-height: 115%;">Hindlimb lameness in mature dogs that are greater
than 12 months of age.</span></em></strong></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin: 0in 0in 10pt;">
<strong><em><span style="font-family: "Times New Roman","serif"; font-size: 12pt; line-height: 115%;">Younger dogs might be experiencing problems with a metabolic disorder involving the growth of the long bones in the legs, a congenital problem, or nutritional imbalances. Mature (older than 1 year) dogs might be experiencing problems with degenerative arthritic joints or a cancerous process. Your veterinarian will have to take all of these things into consideration.</span></em></strong></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin: 0in 0in 10pt;">
<span style="font-family: "Times New Roman","serif"; font-size: 12pt; line-height: 115%;"><u><strong><em>Risk Factors<o:p></o:p></em></strong></u></span></div>
<strong><em>
<span style="font-family: "Times New Roman","serif"; font-size: 12pt; line-height: 115%;"><span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>•Breed (size)<o:p></o:p></span></em></strong><br />
<strong><em>
</em></strong><br />
<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin: 0in 0in 10pt;">
<span style="font-family: "Times New Roman","serif"; font-size: 12pt; line-height: 115%;"><strong><em><span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>•Overweight?</em></strong></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin: 0in 0in 10pt;">
<span style="font-family: "Times New Roman","serif"; font-size: 12pt; line-height: 115%;"><strong><em><span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>•Frequent,
strenuous activity </em></strong></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin: 0in 0in 10pt;">
<span style="font-family: "Times New Roman","serif"; font-size: 12pt; line-height: 115%;"><u><strong><em>Diagnosis </em></strong></u></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin: 0in 0in 10pt;">
<span style="font-family: "Times New Roman","serif"; font-size: 12pt; line-height: 115%;"><strong><em>Your veterinarian will perform a thorough physical
exam on your pet, taking into account the background history of symptoms and
possible incidents that might have led to this condition. Standard tests
include a complete blood profile, a chemical blood profile, a complete blood
count, and a urinalysis. </em></strong></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin: 0in 0in 10pt;">
<span style="font-family: "Times New Roman","serif"; font-size: 12pt; line-height: 115%;"><strong><em>Because there are so many possible causes for
lameness, your veterinarian will most likely use differential diagnosis. This
process is guided by deeper inspection of the apparent outward symptoms, ruling
out each of the more common causes until the correct disorder is settled upon
and can be treated appropriately. </em></strong></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin: 0in 0in 10pt;">
<span style="font-family: "Times New Roman","serif"; font-size: 12pt; line-height: 115%;"><strong><em>Your veterinarian will first try to differentiate
between musculoskeletal, neurogenic and metabolic causes. The urinalysis may
determine whether a muscle injury is reflected in the readings. Diagnostic
imaging will include X-rays of the area of the lameness. Computed tomography
(CT) scans and magnetic resonance imaging (MRI) will also be used when
appropriate. Your doctor will also take samples of joint fluid for laboratory
analysis, along with tissue and muscle samples in order to conduct a muscle
and/or nerve biopsy to look for neuromuscular disease.</em></strong></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin: 0in 0in 10pt;">
<span style="font-family: "Times New Roman","serif"; font-size: 12pt; line-height: 115%;">Adapted from: <a href="http://www.petmd.com/dog/conditions/musculoskeletal/c_dg_lameness"><span style="color: blue;">http://www.petmd.com/dog/conditions/musculoskeletal/c_dg_lameness</span></a></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin: 0in 0in 10pt;">
<span style="font-family: Times, "Times New Roman", serif; font-size: large; line-height: 115%;"><o:p>At this point, some of our cat owners are scratching their heads and wondering if any of this might be different for their critters. Well, in the guise of a definitive answer...maybe yes, maybe no. A lot of what can make a dog limp will also affect a cat in the same way; however, there are some additional considerations with a cat:</o:p></span><span style="font-family: "Times New Roman","serif"; font-size: 12pt; line-height: 115%;"><o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin: 0in 0in 10pt; text-align: center;">
<span style="font-family: "Times New Roman","serif"; line-height: 115%;"><span style="font-size: x-large;"><strong><em>Limping: Causes of Lameness in Cats</em></strong></span><span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin: 0in 0in 10pt;">
<span style="font-family: "Times New Roman","serif"; font-size: 12pt; line-height: 115%;"><strong><em>You see that your cat is limping. What could be the
cause of this lameness? There are actually many causes of lameness, and your
veterinarian will need to examine your cat to discover why he is limping or not
using the leg properly. </em></strong></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin: 0in 0in 10pt;">
<span style="font-family: "Times New Roman","serif"; font-size: 12pt; line-height: 115%;"><strong><em><u>What are some of the causes of limping in cats?</u> </em></strong></span></div>
<ul>
<li><span style="font-family: "Times New Roman","serif"; font-size: 12pt; line-height: 115%;"><strong><em>Muscle sprain or strain </em></strong></span></li>
<li><span style="font-family: "Times New Roman","serif"; font-size: 12pt; line-height: 115%;"></span><strong><em><span style="font-family: "Times New Roman","serif"; font-size: 12pt; line-height: 115%;">Contusion/bruise </span><span style="font-family: "Times New Roman","serif"; font-size: 12pt; line-height: 115%;"></span></em></strong></li>
<li><span style="font-family: "Times New Roman","serif"; font-size: 12pt; line-height: 115%;"><strong><em>Tendonitis: inflammation of a tendon</em></strong></span></li>
<li><span style="font-family: "Times New Roman","serif"; font-size: 12pt; line-height: 115%;"></span><span style="font-family: "Times New Roman","serif"; font-size: 12pt; line-height: 115%;"><strong><em>Myositis: inflammation of the muscle </em></strong></span></li>
<li><span style="font-family: "Times New Roman","serif"; font-size: 12pt; line-height: 115%;"></span><strong><em><span style="font-family: "Times New Roman","serif"; font-size: 12pt; line-height: 115%;">Nerve injury t</span><span style="font-family: "Times New Roman","serif"; font-size: 12pt; line-height: 115%;">o a nerve in the affected limb, e.g., radial nerve
paralysis </span></em></strong></li>
<li><span style="font-family: "Times New Roman","serif"; font-size: 12pt; line-height: 115%;"><strong><em>Diskospondylitis </em></strong></span></li>
<li><span style="font-family: "Times New Roman","serif"; font-size: 12pt; line-height: 115%;"></span><strong><em><span style="font-family: "Times New Roman","serif"; font-size: 12pt; line-height: 115%;">Joint disease...</span><span style="font-family: "Times New Roman","serif"; font-size: 12pt; line-height: 115%;">Dysplasia, e.g., hip </span><span style="font-family: "Times New Roman","serif"; font-size: 12pt; line-height: 115%;">arthritis/degenerative joint disease </span></em></strong></li>
<li><span style="font-family: "Times New Roman","serif"; font-size: 12pt; line-height: 115%;"></span><span style="font-family: "Times New Roman","serif"; font-size: 12pt; line-height: 115%;"><strong><em>Luxated joint: the joint is out of its socket, most
commonly the hip</em></strong></span></li>
<li><span style="font-family: "Times New Roman","serif"; font-size: 12pt; line-height: 115%;"></span><span style="font-family: "Times New Roman","serif"; font-size: 12pt; line-height: 115%;"><strong><em>Infections, e.g., calicivirus </em></strong></span></li>
<li><span style="font-family: "Times New Roman","serif"; font-size: 12pt; line-height: 115%;"></span><strong><em><span style="font-family: "Times New Roman","serif"; font-size: 12pt; line-height: 115%;">Immune-mediated, e.g., progressive polyarthritis </span><span style="font-family: "Times New Roman","serif"; font-size: 12pt; line-height: 115%;">Bone disease </span></em></strong></li>
<li><span style="font-family: "Times New Roman","serif"; font-size: 12pt; line-height: 115%;"></span><span style="font-family: "Times New Roman","serif"; font-size: 12pt; line-height: 115%;"><strong><em>Cancer </em></strong></span></li>
<li><span style="font-family: "Times New Roman","serif"; font-size: 12pt; line-height: 115%;"></span><span style="font-family: "Times New Roman","serif"; font-size: 12pt; line-height: 115%;"><strong><em>Fracture </em></strong></span></li>
<li><span style="font-family: "Times New Roman","serif"; font-size: 12pt; line-height: 115%;"></span><span style="font-family: "Times New Roman","serif"; font-size: 12pt; line-height: 115%;"><strong><em>Injury to the foot </em></strong></span></li>
<li><span style="font-family: "Times New Roman","serif"; font-size: 12pt; line-height: 115%;"></span><span style="font-family: "Times New Roman","serif"; font-size: 12pt; line-height: 115%;"><strong><em>Broken nail </em></strong></span></li>
<li><span style="font-family: "Times New Roman","serif"; font-size: 12pt; line-height: 115%;"></span><strong><em><span style="font-family: "Times New Roman","serif"; font-size: 12pt; line-height: 115%;">Laceration </span><span style="font-family: "Times New Roman","serif"; font-size: 12pt; line-height: 115%;"></span></em></strong></li>
<li><strong><em><span style="font-family: "Times New Roman","serif"; font-size: 12pt; line-height: 115%;">Frostbite or burn </span><span style="font-family: "Times New Roman","serif"; font-size: 12pt; line-height: 115%;"></span></em></strong></li>
<li><strong><em><span style="font-family: "Times New Roman","serif"; font-size: 12pt; line-height: 115%;">Diseases of the pad </span><span style="font-family: "Times New Roman","serif"; font-size: 12pt; line-height: 115%;"></span></em></strong></li>
<li><strong><em><span style="font-family: "Times New Roman","serif"; font-size: 12pt; line-height: 115%;">Foreign body: piece of metal, plant material, etc. </span><span style="font-family: "Times New Roman","serif"; font-size: 12pt; line-height: 115%;"></span></em></strong></li>
<li><span style="font-family: "Times New Roman","serif"; font-size: 12pt; line-height: 115%;"><strong><em>Animal bite or scratch, snakebite </em></strong></span></li>
<li><span style="font-family: "Times New Roman","serif"; font-size: 12pt; line-height: 115%;"></span><span style="font-family: "Times New Roman","serif"; font-size: 12pt; line-height: 115%;"><strong><em>Metabolic diseases </em></strong></span></li>
<li><span style="font-family: "Times New Roman","serif"; font-size: 12pt; line-height: 115%;"></span><span style="font-family: "Times New Roman","serif"; font-size: 12pt; line-height: 115%;"><strong><em>Diabetes </em></strong></span></li>
</ul>
<span style="font-family: "Times New Roman","serif"; font-size: 12pt; line-height: 115%;"><strong><em><u>How is the cause of the limping diagnosed?</u> </em></strong></span><br />
<span style="font-family: "Times New Roman","serif"; font-size: 12pt; line-height: 115%;"><strong><em></em></strong></span><br />
<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin: 0in 0in 10pt;">
<span style="font-family: "Times New Roman","serif"; font-size: 12pt; line-height: 115%;"><strong><em>Your veterinarian will do a complete physical exam
on your cat to help determine the exact location of the problem. The age of
your cat, history of any trauma, onset of the problem (acute or chronic),
severity of the lameness, and whether multiple legs are involved are all
indicators as to the possible source of the problem.</em></strong></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin: 0in 0in 10pt;">
<span style="font-family: "Times New Roman","serif"; font-size: 12pt; line-height: 115%;"><strong><em>Special testing may be required in some
circumstances. Most commonly this may include one or more of the following:</em></strong></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin: 0in 0in 10pt;">
<span style="font-family: "Times New Roman","serif"; font-size: 12pt; line-height: 115%;"><strong><em>Radiographs (x-rays)</em></strong></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin: 0in 0in 10pt;">
<span style="font-family: "Times New Roman","serif"; font-size: 12pt; line-height: 115%;"><strong><em>Biopsies </em></strong></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin: 0in 0in 10pt;">
<span style="font-family: "Times New Roman","serif"; font-size: 12pt; line-height: 115%;"></span><span style="font-family: "Times New Roman","serif"; font-size: 12pt; line-height: 115%;"><strong><em>Blood testing for infectious or immune-related
diseases </em></strong></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin: 0in 0in 10pt;">
<span style="font-family: "Times New Roman","serif"; font-size: 12pt; line-height: 115%;"><strong><em>Collection and examination of joint fluid </em></strong></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin: 0in 0in 10pt;">
<span style="font-family: "Times New Roman","serif"; font-size: 12pt; line-height: 115%;"><strong><em><u>How will the lameness be treated?</u> </em></strong></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin: 0in 0in 10pt;">
<span style="font-family: "Times New Roman","serif"; font-size: 12pt; line-height: 115%;"><strong><em>Treatment will depend on what the specific diagnosis
may be. It may include anything from simple rest to complex surgery. The
prognosis (predicted outcome) will be dependent on multiple factors including
the cause of the limping, the severity of the condition, and the time lag
between the first symptoms and the time of diagnosis and treatment.</em></strong> </span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin: 0in 0in 10pt;">
<span style="font-family: "Times New Roman","serif"; font-size: 12pt; line-height: 115%;">Adapted from: <a href="http://www.peteducation.com/article.cfm?c=1+2175&aid=240"><span style="color: blue;"></span></a><span style="color: blue;"><a href="http://www.peteducation.com/article.cfm?c=1+2175&aid=240">http://www.peteducation.com/article.cfm?c=1+2175&aid=240</a></span><a href="http://www.peteducation.com/article.cfm?c=1+2175&aid=240"></a></span><span style="font-family: "Times New Roman","serif"; font-size: 12pt; line-height: 115%;"><o:p><span style="color: black;">
</span></o:p></span><br />
<span style="font-family: "Times New Roman","serif"; font-size: 12pt; line-height: 115%;"><o:p></o:p></span><br />
<span style="line-height: 115%;"><o:p><span style="font-family: Times, "Times New Roman", serif; font-size: large;">As always, any questions or comments should either be sent to</span></o:p></span><br />
<span style="line-height: 115%;"><o:p><span style="font-family: Times, "Times New Roman", serif; font-size: large;"> Helpful Buckeye at: </span><a href="mailto:dogcatvethelp@gmail.com"><span style="font-family: Times, "Times New Roman", serif; font-size: large;">dogcatvethelp@gmail.com</span></a><span style="font-family: Times, "Times New Roman", serif; font-size: large;"> or registered in the</span></o:p></span><br />
<span style="line-height: 115%;"><o:p><span style="font-family: Times, "Times New Roman", serif; font-size: large;"> comment section at the end of this issue.</span></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin: 0in 0in 0pt;">
<span style="color: black;"><em>~~The goal of this blog is to
provide general information and advice to help you be a better pet owner and to
have a more rewarding relationship with your pet. This blog does not intend to
replace the professional one-on-one care your pet receives from a practicing
veterinarian. When in doubt about your pet's health, always visit a
veterinarian.~~<o:p></o:p></em></span></div>
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Helpful Buckeyehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/18134633849820948837noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-16663019142577616.post-64242985166587391152013-02-24T23:00:00.000-07:002013-02-24T23:00:05.991-07:00MANAGING YOUR PET'S MEDICATIONS<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
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<br />
<br />
Well, we got one of those winter snow storms that I mentioned last week, although only about half of the expected accumulation showed up. We're still a bit behind our yearly average but there's still the big month of March awaiting.<br />
<br />
<span style="font-size: x-large;"><strong>EOB-10....</strong></span><br />
<strong></strong><br />
Helpful Buckeye still remembers the lecture back in 1971 when one of our clinical medicine professors told us that one of the major stumbling blocks in achieving success in healing our patients would be...the owners of those animals. At the time, it didn't make any sense to any of us but he went on to explain that the medicines we'd be prescribing had to be given to the animals for any results to occur. Then, the light bulb went on as we realized that this could be a problem to be reckoned with. So, with that in mind, let's consider this week's topic:<br />
<br />
<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin: 0in 0in 10pt; text-align: center;">
<span style="font-family: "Times New Roman","serif"; line-height: 115%;"><span style="font-size: x-large;"><strong>Managing your Pet’s Medications</strong></span></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: "Times New Roman","serif"; font-size: 12pt; line-height: 115%;"><strong><em>Ann Hohenhaus, DVM </em></strong></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: "Times New Roman","serif"; font-size: 12pt; line-height: 115%;"><strong><em><u>The Importance of Compliance</u> </em></strong></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: "Times New Roman","serif"; font-size: 12pt; line-height: 115%;"><strong><em>On a daily basis, the veterinarians at The Animal
Medical Center prescribe pills, capsules and tablets to cure, control and
prevent diseases. We have pockets full of prescribing information, access
dosing online and carefully follow guidelines to use medications safely and
wisely.</em></strong></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: "Times New Roman","serif"; font-size: 12pt; line-height: 115%;"><strong><em>Correct prescribing by the veterinarian is critical
to medication success, but the other half, administering medications as
prescribed is equally important. Pet owners, upset by the illness of their pet
often misunderstand directions or adjust medication dosing without consulting
their pet’s veterinary healthcare team. If you think no one would do this, here
is summary of this week’s medication conversations. </em></strong></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: "Times New Roman","serif"; font-size: 12pt; line-height: 115%;"><strong><em>Becky</em></strong></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: "Times New Roman","serif"; font-size: 12pt; line-height: 115%;"><strong><em>Poor Becky had major dental surgery this week,
including eight extractions and resulting in a prescription for pain
medications. Becky, a dachshund, belongs to an employee of The AMC and I
stopped by her office the next day to check on the dog. It just happened to be
medication time and Becky’s owner was worried Becky was in pain (highly likely
given eight extractions) and she thought she would give only half the
prescribed dose of pain medications. I reassured her that the amount prescribed
had been carefully calculated for Becky’s size and pain level and that the
entire dose should be given. </em></strong></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: "Times New Roman","serif"; font-size: 12pt; line-height: 115%;"><strong><em>Montana</em></strong></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: "Times New Roman","serif"; font-size: 12pt; line-height: 115%;"><strong><em>Montana is getting chemotherapy and also some
anti-nausea pills. When I reviewed his prescriptions, his owner reported she
was giving half a pill twice daily rather than one pill once daily. She thought
the anti-nausea effect would last longer if she gave the pill more often. The
problem with this logic is the anti-nausea medicine stays around a long time,
hence the once a day dosing recommended by the manufacturer. By giving half a
dose, Montana may not have gotten a high enough level of anti-nausea medicine
in the bloodstream to have a full effect. </em></strong></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: "Times New Roman","serif"; font-size: 12pt; line-height: 115%;"><strong><em>Harvey</em></strong></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: "Times New Roman","serif"; font-size: 12pt; line-height: 115%;"><strong><em>Finally, there’s Harvey and his chemo pills. He
started a new regimen of treatment and I called a couple days later to see how it was going.
Harvey felt great. I should have listened to my inner doctor voice saying,
“Hmm, seems too good to be true.” Turns out his owner made an honest mistake,
misread the label and was giving only one pill instead of two. Now he is on the
correct dosage and is feeling better than ever since his tumor is shrinking. </em></strong></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: "Times New Roman","serif"; font-size: 12pt; line-height: 115%;"><strong><em><u>Medication Pointers</u></em></strong></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: "Times New Roman","serif"; font-size: 12pt; line-height: 115%;"><strong><em>Read the label. Read it again and if you have
questions, call your veterinarian’s office. </em></strong></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: "Times New Roman","serif"; font-size: 12pt; line-height: 115%;"><strong><em>Give the medication as prescribed on the label.
Don’t adjust the amount, frequency or duration of administration without
talking to your veterinarian. </em></strong></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: "Times New Roman","serif"; font-size: 12pt; line-height: 115%;"><strong><em>If you are having trouble administering medications,
stop by your veterinarian’s office for a lesson in administration. </em></strong></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: "Times New Roman","serif"; font-size: 12pt; line-height: 115%;"><strong><em>If the medication schedule does not fit with your schedule,
ask your veterinarian if there is an alternative drug with a different
schedule. </em></strong></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: "Times New Roman","serif"; font-size: 12pt; line-height: 115%;"><strong><em>If your pet won’t take a pill, ask if the medication
comes in a liquid or can be formulated into a liquid to ease administration, or perhaps administered with a pill gun. </em></strong></span></div>
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhWbtiDJ4Jdo5uNzjB86o2luMKLqvqKzfK94Mb2qEVwiKgqoTRjc6mnrA4yCpnlK1aRseTzzN9Z7Oi5Ci59HpcLzV1WyXu-OZkpMva-wvSHIp4jv59juChFCzblvihyphenhyphennMLMdQ6-IRALTmM/s1600/pillshooter.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhWbtiDJ4Jdo5uNzjB86o2luMKLqvqKzfK94Mb2qEVwiKgqoTRjc6mnrA4yCpnlK1aRseTzzN9Z7Oi5Ci59HpcLzV1WyXu-OZkpMva-wvSHIp4jv59juChFCzblvihyphenhyphennMLMdQ6-IRALTmM/s1600/pillshooter.jpg" /></a></div>
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<span style="font-family: "Times New Roman","serif"; font-size: 12pt; line-height: 115%;"></span> </div>
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<span style="font-family: "Times New Roman","serif"; font-size: 12pt; line-height: 115%;"><strong><em>If you think your pet is having a bad reaction to
the medication, stop the medication and call your veterinarian immediately. </em></strong></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: "Times New Roman","serif"; font-size: 12pt; line-height: 115%;"><strong><em>For after-hours trips to the animal ER, be sure to
take all the medications with you and show them to the ER staff.</em></strong> </span></div>
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<span style="font-family: "Times New Roman","serif"; font-size: 12pt; line-height: 115%;">Adapted from: </span><span style="font-family: "Times New Roman","serif"; font-size: 12pt; line-height: 115%; mso-ansi-language: EN-US; mso-bidi-language: AR-SA; mso-fareast-font-family: Calibri; mso-fareast-language: EN-US; mso-fareast-theme-font: minor-latin;"><a href="http://blogs.webmd.com/pet-tales/2011/08/managing-your-pets-medications.html"><span style="color: blue;">http://blogs.webmd.com/pet-tales/2011/08/managing-your-pets-medications.html</span></a></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin: 0in 0in 10pt;">
<span style="font-family: "Times New Roman","serif"; font-size: 12pt; line-height: 115%; mso-ansi-language: EN-US; mso-bidi-language: AR-SA; mso-fareast-font-family: Calibri; mso-fareast-language: EN-US; mso-fareast-theme-font: minor-latin;"></span><span style="font-family: "Times New Roman","serif"; font-size: 12pt; line-height: 115%; mso-ansi-language: EN-US; mso-bidi-language: AR-SA; mso-fareast-font-family: Calibri; mso-fareast-language: EN-US; mso-fareast-theme-font: minor-latin;"> </span></div>
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<span style="font-family: "Times New Roman","serif"; font-size: 12pt; line-height: 115%;"><span style="font-size: x-large;"><strong>Ask the Vet: Managing medication for your pet<o:p></o:p></strong></span></span></div>
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<strong><em>D<span style="font-family: "Times New Roman","serif"; font-size: 12pt; line-height: 115%;">r. Ray Cahill</span></em></strong></div>
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<span style="font-family: "Times New Roman","serif"; font-size: 12pt; line-height: 115%;"><strong><em>Sitting in my own doctor’s office the other day I
saw pamphlets for a variety of drugs from Tylenol to Lipitor. It made me think
about how complicated it can be to keep track of medications, especially those
for our pets. </em></strong></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: "Times New Roman","serif"; font-size: 12pt; line-height: 115%;"></span><span style="font-family: "Times New Roman","serif"; font-size: 12pt; line-height: 115%;"><strong><em>Multiple times a week I find myself reviewing
medication protocols with clients that have either stopped giving their pet’s
medication too soon or were not giving it as directed. This can happen because
it becomes difficult for owners to remember the details of their pet’s
condition and exactly what the medications are doing to help. </em></strong></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: "Times New Roman","serif"; font-size: 12pt; line-height: 115%;"><strong><em>In vet school, we’re taught that clients typically
remember the first and last 5 percent of what we tell them at an office visit.
What we blab on about in between may or may not stick, and the notes we send
home may or may not get read. That said, it is important that the pet gets
treated appropriately, and that remains a shared responsibility between the
owner and the vet. </em></strong></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: "Times New Roman","serif"; font-size: 12pt; line-height: 115%;"><strong><em>Contact your vet’s office for help understanding
your pet’s health issues and medications, even if you’re unclear about commonly
used products such as heartworm, flea and tick preventatives. Give your pet’s
medications as directed for the full length of the prescriptions (i.e., don’t
stop early because your pet is feeling better). Call in advance for medication
refills to avoid running out and risking your pet’s health. This applies
especially to prescription diets; it’s easy to think that a day or so off a
prescription food is OK, but the reality is that the diet is the medicine. </em></strong></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: "Times New Roman","serif"; font-size: 12pt; line-height: 115%;"><strong><em>Fortunately I left my doctor’s office without any
prescriptions. One less thing to confuse me!</em></strong></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: "Times New Roman","serif"; font-size: 12pt; line-height: 115%;">Adapted from: <a href="http://www.rrstar.com/specialsection/pets/x910659556/Ask-the-Vet-Managing-medication-for-your-pet"><span style="color: blue;">http://www.rrstar.com/specialsection/pets/x910659556/Ask-the-Vet-Managing-medication-for-your-pet</span></a></span></div>
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<br />
<div style="text-align: center;">
<strong>Helpful Buckeye said M-E-D-I-C-A-T-I-O-N...not, M-E-D-I-T-A-T-I-O-N....</strong></div>
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<span style="font-family: "Times New Roman","serif"; font-size: 12pt; line-height: 115%;"></span> </div>
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<span style="font-family: "Times New Roman","serif"; font-size: 12pt; line-height: 115%;"><o:p>OK, now we know that even though the pet owner is supposed to be able to give medicines to their pet when needed, it doesn't necessarily work out that way all the time. Veterinarians understand that most pet owners are very sincere in their efforts to comply with instructions on medicating their pets; however, when you consider that a lot of pet-owning humans are less than attentive to medicating themselves the proper way, who knows what they'll do when Fido or Tabby bares their teeth at treatment time?</o:p></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: "Times New Roman","serif"; font-size: 12pt; line-height: 115%;"><o:p>Another problem with medications and your pets goes in the other direction...pets getting hold of medicines that can cause them problems. Helpful Buckeye has discussed this in the past but a current reminder is well-intentioned: </o:p></span></div>
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</div>
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<span style="font-family: "Times New Roman","serif"; font-size: 12pt; line-height: 115%;"><span style="font-size: x-large;"><strong><em>Human medicines are pets' biggest poisoning </em></strong></span></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: "Times New Roman","serif"; font-size: 12pt; line-height: 115%;"><span style="font-size: x-large;"><strong><em>danger<o:p></o:p></em></strong></span></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: "Times New Roman","serif"; font-size: 12pt; line-height: 115%;"><strong><em>By Maryann Mott, HealthDay</em></strong></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: "Times New Roman","serif"; font-size: 12pt; line-height: 115%;"><strong><em>When John D'Amato arrived home early from work one
day, he found an empty bottle of ibuprofen on the living room floor — and one
very sick pet.</em></strong></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: "Times New Roman","serif"; font-size: 12pt; line-height: 115%;"><strong><em>His Great Dane puppy, Otis, had knocked the
pain-reliever container off the coffee table — where D'Amato had left it the
night before — and devoured dozens of the pills.</em></strong></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: "Times New Roman","serif"; font-size: 12pt; line-height: 115%;"><strong><em>"My heart dropped through the floor," he
said of the discovery. </em></strong></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: "Times New Roman","serif"; font-size: 12pt; line-height: 115%;"><strong><em>D'Amato rushed the 85-pound puppy to a veterinary
clinic near his home in Manchester, N.H., where the staff immediately induced
vomiting and began administering IV fluids. Had D'Amato arrived home much
later, Otis might not have survived.</em></strong></span></div>
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg2pznIK9G1EEgFPeQu4Zo-ZBQ8-tmic7xZ4jrASq2EYKwAYKS4w3WseMmFunrIwua2ne-9E1tzPnoiJVE0RWpKzoP4BLnj8MDNdNeRaclnMHQUwNXmUUEVkmO5gWLZZNPE2GKi4kh3jkg/s1600/Forbidden.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"></a><br /></div>
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg2pznIK9G1EEgFPeQu4Zo-ZBQ8-tmic7xZ4jrASq2EYKwAYKS4w3WseMmFunrIwua2ne-9E1tzPnoiJVE0RWpKzoP4BLnj8MDNdNeRaclnMHQUwNXmUUEVkmO5gWLZZNPE2GKi4kh3jkg/s1600/Forbidden.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg2pznIK9G1EEgFPeQu4Zo-ZBQ8-tmic7xZ4jrASq2EYKwAYKS4w3WseMmFunrIwua2ne-9E1tzPnoiJVE0RWpKzoP4BLnj8MDNdNeRaclnMHQUwNXmUUEVkmO5gWLZZNPE2GKi4kh3jkg/s1600/Forbidden.jpg" /></a><span style="font-family: "Times New Roman","serif"; font-size: 12pt; line-height: 115%;"><strong><em>Ingestion of over-the-counter and prescription drugs
formulated for humans are by far the most common cause of pet poisonings in
this country, veterinarians say. </em></strong></span><br />
<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin: 0in 0in 10pt;">
<span style="font-family: "Times New Roman","serif"; font-size: 12pt; line-height: 115%;"><strong><em>Since the ASPCA's Animal Poison Control Center
(APCC) in Urbana, Ill., began keeping statistics in 2002, human medications
have consistently topped its annual list of the most toxic substances pets
ingest. </em></strong></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin: 0in 0in 10pt;">
<span style="font-family: "Times New Roman","serif"; font-size: 12pt; line-height: 115%;"><strong><em>Of the 98,000 calls received so far this year, about
one-third involve dogs and cats consuming human medications, says Camille
DeClementi, a veterinary toxicologist with APCC. </em></strong></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin: 0in 0in 10pt;">
<span style="font-family: "Times New Roman","serif"; font-size: 12pt; line-height: 115%;"><strong><em>Non-steroidal anti-inflammatories, such as Advil,
Aleve and Motrin, are among the top offenders, the APCC finds. Other drugs
commonly eaten by dogs and some felines include antidepressants (Prozac),
acetaminophen (Tylenol), anti-anxiety drugs (Xanax), sleep aids (Ambien) and
beta-blocker blood pressure medications (Tenormin or Toprol.) </em></strong></span></div>
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjih9VzD2_GGj5V9gtCKbaTS_dwFuWF1quRJhe7vHukNaN5TzApPiU-pCsphtiQk4BCkNg1yC84iQ45rauKb7_OpQStEEhcHh1J-l3Qxz-IJYVsARDAYH23wu1z8fL10TWK8VnJiccNHBk/s1600/Poison+Symbol.png" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"></a><br /></div>
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjih9VzD2_GGj5V9gtCKbaTS_dwFuWF1quRJhe7vHukNaN5TzApPiU-pCsphtiQk4BCkNg1yC84iQ45rauKb7_OpQStEEhcHh1J-l3Qxz-IJYVsARDAYH23wu1z8fL10TWK8VnJiccNHBk/s1600/Poison+Symbol.png" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjih9VzD2_GGj5V9gtCKbaTS_dwFuWF1quRJhe7vHukNaN5TzApPiU-pCsphtiQk4BCkNg1yC84iQ45rauKb7_OpQStEEhcHh1J-l3Qxz-IJYVsARDAYH23wu1z8fL10TWK8VnJiccNHBk/s1600/Poison+Symbol.png" /></a><span style="font-family: "Times New Roman","serif"; font-size: 12pt; line-height: 115%;"><strong><em>"The most toxic things in our homes are the
medications we take," she said. "Animals are inquisitive, and get
into things they're not supposed to." </em></strong></span><br />
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<span style="font-family: "Times New Roman","serif"; font-size: 12pt; line-height: 115%;"><strong><em>Pets knock vials off countertops and nightstands, or
owners mistakenly think they're helping their pets by giving them human
medication to alleviate some sort of ailment. </em></strong></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin: 0in 0in 10pt;">
<span style="font-family: "Times New Roman","serif"; font-size: 12pt; line-height: 115%;"><strong><em>That's a big no-no. </em></strong></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: "Times New Roman","serif"; font-size: 12pt; line-height: 115%;"><strong><em>"Dogs' and cats' metabolisms are different from
ours, so they can't always process the same drugs we can," explains Silene
Young, a former emergency room veterinarian who works for Veterinary Pet
Insurance (VPI) in Brea, Calif. </em></strong></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin: 0in 0in 10pt;">
<span style="font-family: "Times New Roman","serif"; font-size: 12pt; line-height: 115%;"><strong><em>Just one extra-strength Tylenol, for example, can
kill a cat. And the anti-cancer topical treatment, Fluorouracil, can be fatal
in dogs, even in the tiniest doses ingested — say, from chewing on the
discarded cotton swabs used to apply the cream, according to veterinary
toxicologists.</em></strong></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin: 0in 0in 10pt;">
<span style="font-family: "Times New Roman","serif"; font-size: 12pt; line-height: 115%;"><strong><em>Medication mix-ups cause unintentional poisonings
too. By grabbing the wrong bottle, some owners inadvertently give their pet
medication that's really meant for them or other humans. </em></strong></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: "Times New Roman","serif"; font-size: 12pt; line-height: 115%;"><strong><em>Keeping animal and human medications in separate
drawers or cabinets is the simplest way to prevent those types of mishaps from
occurring. </em></strong></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: "Times New Roman","serif"; font-size: 12pt; line-height: 115%;"><strong><em>It's also a good idea, veterinarians say, for owners
to take their medication in the bathroom with the door shut. That way, if a
pill drops on the floor, they have time to retrieve it before the dog does. </em></strong></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: "Times New Roman","serif"; font-size: 12pt; line-height: 115%;"><strong><em>Luckily, a good portion of pet poisoning cases are
treatable at home if caught right away, says the DeClementi. The center runs a
24-7 hot line staffed by veterinary toxicologists who give diagnostic and
treatment recommendations for poison-related emergencies in animals. </em></strong></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: "Times New Roman","serif"; font-size: 12pt; line-height: 115%;"><strong><em>And if a trip to the veterinary hospital is warranted,
you'd better take along your credit card. Treating a pet that has ingested a
human medication costs owners, on average, $791 before insurance reimbursement,
according to VPI. </em></strong></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: "Times New Roman","serif"; font-size: 12pt; line-height: 115%;"><strong><em>As for Otis, the Great Dane, he pulled through just
fine after three days of intravenous fluids and close monitoring by
veterinarians. </em></strong></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: "Times New Roman","serif"; font-size: 12pt; line-height: 115%;"><strong><em>The sheer number of pills he gobbled — at least 35 —
could have caused gastric ulcers or kidney failure, both of which can cause
death. </em></strong></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: "Times New Roman","serif"; font-size: 12pt; line-height: 115%;"><strong><em>Quick action taken by his owner, though, saved the
young dog's life and stopped internal damage from developing. "He's been
back for check-ups since (the incident)," says D'Amato, "and he's a
very healthy dog."</em></strong></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin: 0in 0in 10pt;">
<span style="font-family: "Times New Roman","serif"; font-size: 12pt; line-height: 115%;">Adapted from: <a href="http://usatoday30.usatoday.com/life/lifestyle/pets/2010-08-17-dog-cat-poisoning_N.htm"><span style="color: blue;">http://usatoday30.usatoday.com/life/lifestyle/pets/2010-08-17-dog-cat-poisoning_N.htm</span></a>
</span></div>
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgZXexrlYsZJ_LYwfmnqsfIPMUvrxBFf0YyDMeedjtiDCRrgn5-JLP0Q8DTTPEeLO0myUM9ygzZGyS0fGO5IJsS3NmkKau3xiyTKrxl_k4HcmYomSHuMsPO7yG4Z_Ax3Jzky6AzaUVWxAQ/s1600/Blinking+Dog2.bmp" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgZXexrlYsZJ_LYwfmnqsfIPMUvrxBFf0YyDMeedjtiDCRrgn5-JLP0Q8DTTPEeLO0myUM9ygzZGyS0fGO5IJsS3NmkKau3xiyTKrxl_k4HcmYomSHuMsPO7yG4Z_Ax3Jzky6AzaUVWxAQ/s320/Blinking+Dog2.bmp" width="291" /></a></div>
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<span style="font-family: "Times New Roman","serif"; font-size: 12pt; line-height: 115%;"><o:p></o:p></span> </div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin: 0in 0in 10pt;">
<span style="color: black; font-size: 12pt; mso-ansi-language: EN-US; mso-bidi-language: AR-SA; mso-fareast-font-family: "Times New Roman"; mso-fareast-language: EN-US;">Don't forget, if you have any questions and/or comments, send them to Helpful Buckeye at: <a href="mailto:dogcatvethelp@gmail.com">dogcatvethelp@gmail.com</a> or submit them in the comment section at the end of this issue of <strong><span style="color: #990000;">Questions On Dogs and Cats</span></strong>.</span><br />
<em></em><br />
<span style="color: black; font-size: 12pt; mso-ansi-language: EN-US; mso-bidi-language: AR-SA; mso-fareast-font-family: "Times New Roman"; mso-fareast-language: EN-US;"><em>~~The goal of this blog is to provide general
information and advice to help you be a better pet owner and to have a more
rewarding relationship with your pet. This blog does not intend to replace the
professional one-on-one care your pet receives from a practicing veterinarian.
When in doubt about your pet's health, always visit a veterinarian.~~</em></span></div>
Helpful Buckeyehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/18134633849820948837noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-16663019142577616.post-79371858501853717502013-02-17T23:00:00.000-07:002013-02-24T10:24:49.105-07:00WHAT IS ANIMAL HOARDING?<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj8ZcPv0PeerecGegBv_BOLKtLaojOZ2b_WZYvymFaUtrLOHwmggRMXfAwcYYwDJEnoxACVFDm5xvpykz8VRAaimDfW-nOoTAj-SecvrpIXs3ONiETI_zPMdHBW4vEIJH0Nv-KHjutqvAQ/s1600/Winter+Scene1.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="238" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj8ZcPv0PeerecGegBv_BOLKtLaojOZ2b_WZYvymFaUtrLOHwmggRMXfAwcYYwDJEnoxACVFDm5xvpykz8VRAaimDfW-nOoTAj-SecvrpIXs3ONiETI_zPMdHBW4vEIJH0Nv-KHjutqvAQ/s320/Winter+Scene1.jpg" width="320" /></a></div>
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<br />
Warmer weather has been slowly creeping back into the mountains of northern Arizona, easing up somewhat on the sub-zero nights and days that don't go above 15-20 degrees. However, we'll still have at least a few big snowstorms before winter breathes her final sigh. February and March are historically the months that bring the most snow accumulations to us...but, there is still a sense of spring on the horizon.<br />
<br />
Desperado and Helpful Buckeye finally got several days off from our renovation this past week and were able to do some things just for fun. Our contractor has finished the first phase of the project and is now awaiting the cabinetry and countertops before finishing the job. A couple of trips to the Phoenix area, Sedona, and the Grand Canyon await us over the next two weeks on days when no work is being done. Desperado has been very eager to get out and stretch her legs on some trails....<br />
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<strong><span style="font-size: x-large;">EOB-11....</span></strong><br />
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For those of you who own more than one dog or cat, where would you draw the line at having too many pets? Four dogs/cats, six, eight...how many? The problem with that question is that there are so many variables involved in formulating an answer. As with children, some families are better able to properly take care of more animals than another family might be. Finances enter into the equation, as do the amount of space available and the quantity of time the pet owner can devote to the care of those pets. Another consideration is whether or not there are any local ordinances governing the number of pets allowed on one property. I think we all can agree that there is a reasonable limit to the number of pets anyone can caringly and sanely provide for.<br />
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjh6a5o_2fHMyn_91JaOWE60ZtSjqKiuMmmFuEIzyCuXPiTFzQDw_Wsq19MdtwqABWuQNr89ewhS98L1si3uhC3zm1pOBpFQpmoOa9Xn3w8cIKAO2vCy0_zHVKbfqv579mvap5ITT7SUT0/s1600/Assorted+Dogs.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjh6a5o_2fHMyn_91JaOWE60ZtSjqKiuMmmFuEIzyCuXPiTFzQDw_Wsq19MdtwqABWuQNr89ewhS98L1si3uhC3zm1pOBpFQpmoOa9Xn3w8cIKAO2vCy0_zHVKbfqv579mvap5ITT7SUT0/s1600/Assorted+Dogs.jpg" /></a></div>
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<span style="font-family: "Times New Roman","serif"; line-height: 115%;"><strong><em><span style="color: black; font-size: x-large;">How Many Dogs Are Too Many?</span></em></strong></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: "Times New Roman","serif"; font-size: 12pt; line-height: 115%;"><strong><em><span style="color: black;">By: Dr. Nicholas Dodman</span></em></strong></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: "Times New Roman","serif"; font-size: 12pt; line-height: 115%;"><strong><em><span style="color: black;">Adding a dog to an existing household of dogs can
sometimes be tricky. It requires trial meetings on neutral territory to
establish the dogs' tolerance of each other before throwing the unsuspecting
pair together permanently. Where even greater numbers of dogs are involved,
pack dynamics must be considered. </span></em></strong></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: "Times New Roman","serif"; font-size: 12pt; line-height: 115%;"><strong><em><span style="color: black;">Naturally, the dogs' temperaments must be
considered, but age and seniority – basically who was there first – are also
important factors. In fact, the best way to start out may be to favor the
original resident over the newcomer, and the elder dog over the younger dog.
This "senior support program" may have to be reversed to a
"junior support program" if after four to six weeks hostilities
persist or are escalating.</span></em></strong></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: "Times New Roman","serif"; font-size: 12pt; line-height: 115%;"><strong><em><span style="color: black;">When several dogs share the same close quarters with
each other, there is often some occasional inter-dog aggravation. This may
sound worse than it is, with much growling and posturing over some issue
important to the dogs. This is normal dog behavior that is best ignored. Let
dogs be dogs – unless there are serious biting incidents (not just a nicked
ear) or biting lower than the neck (e.g. on the abdomen). In this case, you
will have to work hard to establish the true leader and support that dog's
position over the usurper.</span></em></strong></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: "Times New Roman","serif"; font-size: 12pt; line-height: 115%;"><strong><em><span style="color: black;">It is probably true that as the number of dogs in a
household increases the incidence of behavior problems also increases. Let's
face it, the larger the pack the more complicated the social dynamics and the
more diluted the owner's attention. But how large a pack is too large? If one
dog is fine, two's company, and a small group of four to six dogs (natural pack
size) is manageable with care and knowledge, what about 25 dogs? </span></em></strong></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: "Times New Roman","serif"; font-size: 12pt; line-height: 115%;"></span><span style="font-family: "Times New Roman","serif"; font-size: 12pt; line-height: 115%;"><strong><em><span style="color: black;">The Envelope, Please </span></em></strong></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: "Times New Roman","serif"; font-size: 12pt; line-height: 115%;"><strong><em><span style="color: black;">Having more than six to eight dogs as pets does seem
excessive, unless you are a breeder or are involved in some canine enterprise
that requires you to own many dogs, like foxhounds that you use for hunting.
Owning large numbers of dogs means that individual dogs do not receive the same
level of attention they would if they were part of a smaller unit. The
relationship of human and dog changes, becoming less personal, and the dogs
themselves become less pet-like and more pack-like. </span></em></strong></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: "Times New Roman","serif"; font-size: 12pt; line-height: 115%;"><strong><em><span style="color: black;">While there is nothing wrong with this altered
dynamic, it is in a direction away from what is normally understood as pet
ownership. In general, this is a move away from close human-companion animal
bonds, and indicates a more perfunctory type of relationship.</span></em></strong></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: "Times New Roman","serif"; font-size: 12pt; line-height: 115%;"><strong><em><span style="color: black;">Some folks take the acquisition and mass ownership of
dogs a stage further in the name of humanity. They often surround themselves
with scores of dogs that live in cages like battery hens and/or run rampant
around the home, soiling the place and creating an unhealthful existence for
both human and dog. In extreme cases, dogs in these situations are not fed or
cared for properly and end up emaciated and sick. People who foster such
situations, known as animal collectors or hoarders, may be psychologically
unwell and don't appreciate the inhumanity of what they are doing. They may
even have a form of obsessive-compulsive disorder and should seek help – though
they usually don't. </span></em></strong></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: "Times New Roman","serif"; font-size: 12pt; line-height: 115%;"><strong><em><span style="color: black;">One thing is for sure, how many dogs you can
humanely care for depends on your availability, energy and resources. For most
people, owning one or two dogs is a full time job, but some may be able to
balance upward of four to six dogs. Anything above this number requires a
special kind of person with special circumstances if each animal is to receive
the kind of attention he should receive as a pet.<o:p></o:p></span></em></strong></span></div>
Adapted from: <span style="font-family: "Times New Roman","serif"; font-size: 12pt; line-height: 115%; mso-ansi-language: EN-US; mso-bidi-language: AR-SA; mso-fareast-font-family: Calibri; mso-fareast-language: EN-US; mso-fareast-theme-font: minor-latin;"><a href="http://www.petplace.com/dogs/how-many-are-too-many/page1.aspx"><span style="color: blue;">http://www.petplace.com/dogs/how-many-are-too-many/page1.aspx</span></a></span><br />
<span style="font-family: "Times New Roman","serif"; font-size: 12pt; line-height: 115%; mso-ansi-language: EN-US; mso-bidi-language: AR-SA; mso-fareast-font-family: Calibri; mso-fareast-language: EN-US; mso-fareast-theme-font: minor-latin;"></span><br />
<span style="font-family: "Times New Roman","serif"; font-size: 12pt; line-height: 115%; mso-ansi-language: EN-US; mso-bidi-language: AR-SA; mso-fareast-font-family: Calibri; mso-fareast-language: EN-US; mso-fareast-theme-font: minor-latin;">
</span><br />
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<span style="font-family: "Times New Roman","serif"; line-height: 115%;"><strong><em><span style="color: black; font-size: x-large;">How Many Dogs are Enough "Tip"</span></em></strong></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: "Times New Roman","serif"; font-size: 12pt; line-height: 115%;"><strong><em><span style="color: black;">By: Dr. Debra Primovic</span></em></strong></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin: 0in 0in 10pt;">
<span style="font-family: "Times New Roman","serif"; font-size: 12pt; line-height: 115%;"><strong><em><span style="color: black;">A common question we get is how many dogs are too
many? The answer is not a simple one and really depends on how much time and
space you have as well as the personality of the individual dogs. Some dogs are
more gregarious than others and some dogs really are happiest when they are the
only dog in the house.<o:p></o:p></span></em></strong></span></div>
Adapted from: <span style="font-family: "Times New Roman","serif"; font-size: 12pt; line-height: 115%; mso-ansi-language: EN-US; mso-bidi-language: AR-SA; mso-fareast-font-family: Calibri; mso-fareast-language: EN-US; mso-fareast-theme-font: minor-latin;"><a href="http://www.petplace.com/dogs/how-many-dogs-are-enough-tip/page1.aspx?utm_source=dogcrazynews001et&utm_medium=email&utm_content=petplace_article&utm_campaign=dailynewsletter"><span style="color: blue;">http://www.petplace.com/dogs/how-many-dogs-are-enough-tip/page1.aspx?utm_source=dogcrazynews001et&utm_medium=email&utm_content=petplace_article&utm_campaign=dailynewsletter</span></a></span><br />
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<br />
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<span style="font-family: "Times New Roman","serif"; font-size: 12pt; line-height: 115%;"><strong><em><span style="font-size: x-large;">Animal Hoarding<o:p></o:p></span></em></strong></span></div>
<strong><em>
</em></strong><span style="font-family: "Times New Roman","serif"; font-size: 12pt; line-height: 115%; mso-ansi-language: EN-US; mso-bidi-language: AR-SA; mso-fareast-font-family: Calibri; mso-fareast-language: EN-US; mso-fareast-theme-font: minor-latin;"><strong><em>In recent years,
several television shows and news specials have documented the lives of
Americans that have practically buried themselves in their own belongings. This
behavior, known as hoarding, is often typified by compulsive accumulation and
storage of books, clothes, or other nonessential items. For some of these
individuals, hoarding goes beyond keepsakes and overflows into the realm of
pets. With about 1,500 new cases like this arising each year, there’s no
arguing that animal hoarding is a growing problem.</em></strong> </span><br />
<span style="font-family: "Times New Roman","serif"; font-size: 12pt; line-height: 115%; mso-ansi-language: EN-US; mso-bidi-language: AR-SA; mso-fareast-font-family: Calibri; mso-fareast-language: EN-US; mso-fareast-theme-font: minor-latin;"></span><br />
<span style="font-family: "Times New Roman","serif"; font-size: 12pt; line-height: 115%; mso-ansi-language: EN-US; mso-bidi-language: AR-SA; mso-fareast-font-family: Calibri; mso-fareast-language: EN-US; mso-fareast-theme-font: minor-latin;">Adapted from: <span style="font-family: "Times New Roman","serif"; font-size: 12pt; line-height: 115%; mso-ansi-language: EN-US; mso-bidi-language: AR-SA; mso-fareast-font-family: Calibri; mso-fareast-language: EN-US; mso-fareast-theme-font: minor-latin;"><a href="http://www.avmamedia.org/display.asp?sid=429&tid=207&NAME=Animal_Hoarding"><span style="color: blue;">http://www.avmamedia.org/display.asp?sid=429&tid=207&NAME=Animal_Hoarding</span></a></span></span><br />
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<span style="font-family: "Times New Roman","serif"; line-height: 115%;"><strong><em><span style="font-size: x-large;">What is animal hoarding?</span></em></strong></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin: 0in 0in 10pt;">
<span style="font-family: "Times New Roman","serif"; font-size: 12pt; line-height: 115%;"><strong><em>According to the Hoarding Animals Research
Consortium, the following criteria are used to define animal hoarding: </em></strong></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin: 0in 0in 10pt;">
<span style="font-family: "Times New Roman","serif"; font-size: 12pt; line-height: 115%;"><strong><em>1)M</em></strong></span><span style="font-family: "Times New Roman","serif"; font-size: 12pt; line-height: 115%;"><strong><em>ore than the typical number of companion animals</em></strong></span></div>
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<strong><em><span style="font-family: "Times New Roman","serif"; font-size: 12pt; line-height: 115%;">2)</span><span style="font-family: "Times New Roman","serif"; font-size: 12pt; line-height: 115%;">Inability to provide even minimal standards of
nutrition, sanitation, shelter, and veterinary care, with this neglect often
resulting in starvation, illness and death</span><span style="font-family: "Times New Roman","serif"; font-size: 12pt; line-height: 115%;"><span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span></span></em></strong></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin: 0in 0in 10pt;">
<strong><em><span style="font-family: "Times New Roman","serif"; font-size: 12pt; line-height: 115%;"><span style="mso-spacerun: yes;">3)</span>Denial of the
inability to provide this minimum care and the impact of that failure on the
animals, the household, and the human occupants of the home.</span></em></strong></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin: 0in 0in 10pt;">
<span style="font-family: "Times New Roman","serif"; font-size: 12pt; line-height: 115%;"><strong><em>Nearly 250,000 animals are victims of animal
hoarding each year. This abuse differs from other types of animal cruelty in
that the perpetrators don't always accept or recognize the cruelty they inflict
on their animals. Rather, animal hoarders usually ardently believe they are
saving or rescuing the animals they imprison. </em></strong></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: "Times New Roman","serif"; font-size: 12pt; line-height: 115%;"><strong><em><u>How does it cause animal suffering?</u> </em></strong></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin: 0in 0in 10pt;">
<span style="font-family: "Times New Roman","serif"; font-size: 12pt; line-height: 115%;"><strong><em>Animals kept in hoarding conditions often suffer
extreme neglect, including lack of food, proper veterinary care and sanitary
conditions. Officers investigating hoarding situations often find floors,
furniture and counters covered with animal feces and urine. In extreme cases,
decaying animal carcasses are found among the living animals. Insect and rodent
infestations are also common.</em></strong></span><br />
<span style="font-family: "Times New Roman","serif"; font-size: 12pt; line-height: 115%;"><strong><em></em></strong></span><br />
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh558raQP6AD_o4k2ejGRy_13bXwj010YG_8Pt4zf8cQVb5HEuwBUoNW1ew2HEDy16tQVmBGxADwRu3un7U_wZaEh68n1vaW29Zt9tAI226nE7nxBevc8DFEl8pvUVR0icUrlsp6aDG7KE/s1600/Bunch+of+Cats.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="240" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh558raQP6AD_o4k2ejGRy_13bXwj010YG_8Pt4zf8cQVb5HEuwBUoNW1ew2HEDy16tQVmBGxADwRu3un7U_wZaEh68n1vaW29Zt9tAI226nE7nxBevc8DFEl8pvUVR0icUrlsp6aDG7KE/s320/Bunch+of+Cats.jpg" width="320" /></a></div>
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<span style="font-family: "Times New Roman","serif"; font-size: 12pt; line-height: 115%;"><strong><em><u>Are there other concerns?</u> </em></strong></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin: 0in 0in 10pt;">
<span style="font-family: "Times New Roman","serif"; font-size: 12pt; line-height: 115%;"><strong><em>Aside from obvious animal suffering, animal hoarding
presents health hazards for the human occupants of the home. Child and adult
protective services can be called to intervene when the hoarder's neglect
extends beyond the animals.</em></strong></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin: 0in 0in 10pt;">
<span style="font-family: "Times New Roman","serif"; font-size: 12pt; line-height: 115%;"><strong><em>Filthy conditions under which animal hoarders live
also attract disease vectors such as insects and rodents. This can also
threaten neighboring households. Often a house that is home to a hoarding
situation must be condemned by the health department due to unlivable
conditions. </em></strong></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: "Times New Roman","serif"; font-size: 12pt; line-height: 115%;"><strong><em>Finally, animal hoarding places a tremendous strain
on already-overburdened animal shelters, which lack the space or resources to
deal with an influx of hundreds of animals, many of whom are usually in dire
need of medical attention. Holding these animals pending the outcome of a court
case may displace otherwise adoptable animals and lead to their euthanasia. </em></strong></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin: 0in 0in 10pt;">
<span style="font-family: "Times New Roman","serif"; font-size: 12pt; line-height: 115%;"><strong><em><u>Treatment options</u> </em></strong></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin: 0in 0in 10pt;">
<span style="font-family: "Times New Roman","serif"; font-size: 12pt; line-height: 115%;"><strong><em>Although what causes animal hoarding is still poorly
understood, there is a general consensus that animal hoarding is a symptom of
psychological and neurological malfunctioning, which might involve dementia,
obsessive-compulsive disorder, post-traumatic stress disorder, and
attention-deficit hyperactivity disorder. Treatment is difficult and has a low
rate of success. Typically a combination of cognitive-behavioral therapy and
some type of psychopharmacological intervention is recommended. </em></strong></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin: 0in 0in 10pt;">
<span style="font-family: "Times New Roman","serif"; font-size: 12pt; line-height: 115%;"><strong><em>Removing animals from the hoarding situation can
temporarily help solve the problem, but without long-term psychological
intervention, animal hoarding has a nearly 100 percent recidivism rate. It is
recommended that animal control, social service agencies, and health and
housing agencies work together to treat each animal hoarding situation as a
long-term project. Intervention also should involve the family of the hoarder,
and any other involved members of the community.</em></strong></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin: 0in 0in 10pt;">
<span style="font-family: "Times New Roman","serif"; font-size: 12pt; line-height: 115%;"><strong><em><u>Charging options</u> </em></strong></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin: 0in 0in 10pt;">
<span style="font-family: "Times New Roman","serif"; font-size: 12pt; line-height: 115%;"><strong><em>The animal cruelty laws of all states have
provisions stipulating minimal care standards (e.g., food, shelter, veterinary
care, and sanitary conditions) for animals. Legislation has been enacted in a
few states specifically addressing animal hoarding. </em></strong></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin: 0in 0in 10pt;">
<span style="font-family: "Times New Roman","serif"; font-size: 12pt; line-height: 115%;"><strong><em>In situations where the animal hoarder is unwilling
to accept help and the animals' conditions do not warrant animal cruelty
charges, non-animal agencies often step in to force change. For example, fire
departments can cite hoarders for fire code violations, health departments can
intervene where there are disease issues and housing code violations, and
county zoning boards can step in to force change if there are local ordinances
regarding the number of animals a person may keep. The charges may be necessary
to help the hoarder understand the gravity of their situation.</em></strong></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin: 0in 0in 10pt;">
<span style="font-family: "Times New Roman","serif"; font-size: 12pt; line-height: 115%;"><strong><em><u>Sentencing options</u> </em></strong></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin: 0in 0in 10pt;">
<span style="font-family: "Times New Roman","serif"; font-size: 12pt; line-height: 115%;"><strong><em>The HSUS recommends that convicted animal hoarders
be sentenced to mandatory psychological evaluation and treatment and that they
be restricted to owning a small number of animals; two is a reasonable number. </em></strong></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin: 0in 0in 10pt;">
<span style="font-family: "Times New Roman","serif"; font-size: 12pt; line-height: 115%;"><strong><em>A lengthy probation period, during which the hoarder
must agree to periodic unannounced visits from animal control to ensure
compliance, is vital. In cases where animal suffering is extreme (and depending
on the mental and psychological capacity of the hoarder), we favor jail time,
both as a punitive measure and to help hoarders understand the serious nature
of their actions.</em></strong></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin: 0in 0in 10pt;">
<span style="font-family: "Times New Roman","serif"; font-size: 12pt; line-height: 115%;">Adapted from: <a href="http://www.humanesociety.org/issues/abuse_neglect/facts/hoarding.html"><span style="color: blue;">http://www.humanesociety.org/issues/abuse_neglect/facts/hoarding.html</span></a></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin: 0in 0in 10pt;">
<span style="font-family: "Times New Roman","serif"; font-size: 12pt; line-height: 115%;"></span><span style="font-family: "Times New Roman","serif"; font-size: 12pt; line-height: 115%;"><o:p> </o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin: 0in 0in 10pt; text-align: center;">
<span style="font-family: "Times New Roman","serif"; line-height: 115%;"><strong><em><span style="font-size: x-large;">More Details on Animal Hoarding</span></em></strong></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin: 0in 0in 10pt;">
<span style="font-family: "Times New Roman","serif"; font-size: 12pt; line-height: 115%;"><strong><em>Animal hoarding is a complex and intricate public
health and community issue. Its effects are far-reaching and encompass mental health,
animal welfare and public safety concerns. </em></strong></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin: 0in 0in 10pt;">
<span style="font-family: "Times New Roman","serif"; font-size: 12pt; line-height: 115%;"><strong><em><u>Why Do People Hoard Animals?</u></em></strong></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin: 0in 0in 10pt;">
<span style="font-family: "Times New Roman","serif"; font-size: 12pt; line-height: 115%;"><strong><em>It is not clearly understood why people become
animal hoarders. Early research pointed toward a variant of
obsessive-compulsive disorders, but new studies and theories are leading toward
attachment disorders in conjunction with personality disorders, paranoia,
delusional thinking, depression and other mental illnesses. Some animal
hoarders began collecting after a traumatic event or loss, while others see
themselves as “rescuers” who save animals from lives on the street.</em></strong></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin: 0in 0in 10pt;">
<span style="font-family: "Times New Roman","serif"; font-size: 12pt; line-height: 115%;"><strong><em>“Historically, a person who collected animals was
viewed as an animal lover who got in over his or her head, but the truth is
that people who hoard are experiencing a total loss of insight,” says Dr.
Randall Lockwood, ASPCA Senior Vice President, Forensic Sciences and
Anti-cruelty Projects. “They have no real perception of the harm they're doing
to the animals." </em></strong></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin: 0in 0in 10pt;">
<span style="font-family: "Times New Roman","serif"; font-size: 12pt; line-height: 115%;"></span><span style="font-family: "Times New Roman","serif"; font-size: 12pt; line-height: 115%;"><strong><em>In the majority of cases, animal hoarders appear
intelligent and clearly believe they are helping their animals. They often
claim that any home is better than letting that animal die. In addition, many
hoarders possess the ability to garner sympathy and to deceive others into
thinking their situation is under control. They often are blind to the fact
that they are not caring for the animals and to the extreme suffering they are
inflicting. </em></strong></span><br />
<strong><em></em></strong><br />
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<span style="font-family: "Times New Roman","serif"; font-size: 12pt; line-height: 115%;"><strong><em>According to Dr. Lockwood, "Being kept by a
hoarder is a slow kind of death for the animal. Actually, it can be a fate
worse than death." </em></strong></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin: 0in 0in 10pt;">
<span style="font-family: "Times New Roman","serif"; font-size: 12pt; line-height: 115%;"><strong><em><u>How Can I Tell if Someone Is a Hoarder?</u> </em></strong></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin: 0in 0in 10pt;">
<span style="font-family: "Times New Roman","serif"; font-size: 12pt; line-height: 115%;"><strong><em>It's not always easy. Animal hoarders range in age,
and can be men or women of any race or ethnic group. Elderly people tend to be
more at risk due to their own deteriorating health and isolation from community
and social groups. One commonality between all hoarders is a failure to grasp
the severity of their situation. </em></strong></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin: 0in 0in 10pt;">
<span style="font-family: "Times New Roman","serif"; font-size: 12pt; line-height: 115%;"><strong><em>“I have worked with many animal hoarders in their
homes. Their mental illness allows them to maintain an absolute denial of the
filth and the suffering of the animals,” says Dr. Stephanie LaFarge, ASPCA
Senior Director of Counseling Services. “They simply cannot see or smell or
react to the situation as a normal person would." </em></strong></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin: 0in 0in 10pt;">
<span style="font-family: "Times New Roman","serif"; font-size: 12pt; line-height: 115%;"><strong><em>Here are several signs that may indicate someone is
an animal hoarder: </em></strong></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin: 0in 0in 10pt;">
<span style="font-family: "Times New Roman","serif"; font-size: 12pt; line-height: 115%;"><strong><em>•They have numerous animals and may not know the
total number of animals in their care.</em></strong></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin: 0in 0in 10pt;">
<span style="font-family: "Times New Roman","serif"; font-size: 12pt; line-height: 115%;"><strong><em>•Their home is deteriorated (i.e., dirty windows,
broken furniture, holes in wall and floor, extreme clutter). </em></strong></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin: 0in 0in 10pt;">
<span style="font-family: "Times New Roman","serif"; font-size: 12pt; line-height: 115%;"><strong><em>•There is a strong smell of ammonia, and floors may
be covered with dried feces, urine, vomit, etc. </em></strong></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin: 0in 0in 10pt;">
<span style="font-family: "Times New Roman","serif"; font-size: 12pt; line-height: 115%;"><strong><em>•Animals are emaciated, lethargic and not well
socialized. </em></strong></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin: 0in 0in 10pt;">
<span style="font-family: "Times New Roman","serif"; font-size: 12pt; line-height: 115%;"><strong><em>•Fleas and vermin are present. </em></strong></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin: 0in 0in 10pt;">
<span style="font-family: "Times New Roman","serif"; font-size: 12pt; line-height: 115%;"><strong><em>•Individual is isolated from community and appears
to be in neglect themselves.</em></strong></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin: 0in 0in 10pt;">
<span style="font-family: "Times New Roman","serif"; font-size: 12pt; line-height: 115%;"><strong><em>•Individual insists all animals are happy and
healthy—even when there are clear signs of distress and illness. </em></strong></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin: 0in 0in 10pt;">
<span style="font-family: "Times New Roman","serif"; font-size: 12pt; line-height: 115%;"><strong><em><u>Do Hoarders Often Pose as Rescue Groups or
Sanctuaries?</u> </em></strong></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin: 0in 0in 10pt;">
<span style="font-family: "Times New Roman","serif"; font-size: 12pt; line-height: 115%;"><strong><em>Absolutely. Research shows many hoarders are
beginning to set themselves up as “rescue shelters,” complete with 501(c)(3)
not-for-profit status. They may appear to be sensible people, persuasively
conveying their love for animals and readiness to take those who are sick and
with special needs. Furthermore, the Internet appears to be becoming a great
tool for solicitation. </em></strong></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin: 0in 0in 10pt;">
<span style="font-family: "Times New Roman","serif"; font-size: 12pt; line-height: 115%;"><strong><em>“When looking to place an animal, it is easy for a
person to get seduced by a pretty website,” points out Lockwood. “We need to
caution people to look behind the curtain before giving over an animal.”</em></strong></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin: 0in 0in 10pt;">
<span style="font-family: "Times New Roman","serif"; font-size: 12pt; line-height: 115%;"><strong><em>Here are several signs that a rescue group or
shelter may involve a hoarder: </em></strong></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin: 0in 0in 10pt;">
<span style="font-family: "Times New Roman","serif"; font-size: 12pt; line-height: 115%;"><strong><em>•The group is unwilling to let visitors see the
location where animals are kept. </em></strong></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin: 0in 0in 10pt;">
<span style="font-family: "Times New Roman","serif"; font-size: 12pt; line-height: 115%;"><strong><em>•The group will not disclose the number of animals
in its care.</em></strong></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin: 0in 0in 10pt;">
<span style="font-family: "Times New Roman","serif"; font-size: 12pt; line-height: 115%;"><strong><em>•Little effort is made to adopt animals out. </em></strong></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin: 0in 0in 10pt;">
<span style="font-family: "Times New Roman","serif"; font-size: 12pt; line-height: 115%;"><strong><em>•More animals are continually taken in, despite the
poor condition of existing animals. </em></strong></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin: 0in 0in 10pt;">
<span style="font-family: "Times New Roman","serif"; font-size: 12pt; line-height: 115%;"><strong><em>•Legitimate shelters and rescue organizations are
viewed as the enemy. </em></strong></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin: 0in 0in 10pt;">
<span style="font-family: "Times New Roman","serif"; font-size: 12pt; line-height: 115%;"><strong><em>•Animals may be received at a remote location
(parking lot, street corner, etc.) rather than at the group's facilities. </em></strong></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin: 0in 0in 10pt;">
<span style="font-family: "Times New Roman","serif"; font-size: 12pt; line-height: 115%;"><strong><em><u>I Have Many Animals—Could I Be a Hoarder?</u> </em></strong></span><br />
<strong><em></em></strong><br />
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjoFkQtFMOSFpZJ3btAJe2sAQI0_VnCs9EtUwzkdCpELxwVdrOiuOk8GIp7e3Ij6LB0qX13hZVPSiBs6diM2pAe5BTAkud4FQ8s_OxjSixyQcSPGIfU-R8YjFgGbItpn3SGFzNubqSMvaI/s1600/Cats+and+Dogs3.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjoFkQtFMOSFpZJ3btAJe2sAQI0_VnCs9EtUwzkdCpELxwVdrOiuOk8GIp7e3Ij6LB0qX13hZVPSiBs6diM2pAe5BTAkud4FQ8s_OxjSixyQcSPGIfU-R8YjFgGbItpn3SGFzNubqSMvaI/s1600/Cats+and+Dogs3.jpg" /></a></div>
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<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin: 0in 0in 10pt;">
<span style="font-family: "Times New Roman","serif"; font-size: 12pt; line-height: 115%;"><strong><em>It's important to note that not everyone who has
multiple animals is an animal hoarder. A person may have a dozen animals, and
all are spayed and neutered and provided with regular veterinary care and a
sanitary environment. This person would not be an animal hoarder. Even rescuers
who occasionally become overwhelmed are not considered hoarders if they are
actively trying to modify the situation. That said, if you think you might have
too many animals to care for properly, please contact your local shelter or a
veterinarian for help.</em></strong></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin: 0in 0in 10pt;">
<span style="font-family: "Times New Roman","serif"; font-size: 12pt; line-height: 115%;"><strong><em><u>How Prevalent Is Animal Hoarding?</u> </em></strong></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin: 0in 0in 10pt;">
<span style="font-family: "Times New Roman","serif"; font-size: 12pt; line-height: 115%;"><strong><em>It has been estimated that there are 900 to 2,000
new cases of animal hoarding every year in the United States, with a quarter
million animals falling victim. Animals collected range from cats and dogs to
reptiles, rodents, birds, exotics and even farm animals. </em></strong></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin: 0in 0in 10pt;">
<span style="font-family: "Times New Roman","serif"; font-size: 12pt; line-height: 115%;"><strong><em><u>Should Hoarders Be Prosecuted?</u> </em></strong></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin: 0in 0in 10pt;">
<span style="font-family: "Times New Roman","serif"; font-size: 12pt; line-height: 115%;"><strong><em>In most cases, criminal prosecution of animal
hoarding can be a difficult process and may not be the most effective route.
Such cases are difficult to successfully prosecute and, once litigation ends,
the hoarder is likely to resume collecting an excessive number of animals
unless closely monitored. “Hoarders are like drug addicts—you can't cure them,
you can only prevent relapses,” says Lockwood. </em></strong></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin: 0in 0in 10pt;">
<span style="font-family: "Times New Roman","serif"; font-size: 12pt; line-height: 115%;"><strong><em>Some say prosecution isn't the answer because
hoarders are often emotionally troubled rather than criminally inclined. “Like
many psychological conditions, the causes of animal hoarding are probably
multiple and, therefore, assessment of emotions, behavior and thoughts must be
multifaceted to point the way toward successful treatment,” says the ASPCA's
Dr. LaFarge. In some cases judges can impose conditions that actually help the
hoarder. They can require counseling, for instance, or prohibit the person from
having animals. </em></strong></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin: 0in 0in 10pt;">
<span style="font-family: "Times New Roman","serif"; font-size: 12pt; line-height: 115%;"><strong><em>What is clear is that prosecution alone rarely
alters the behavior. “It is essential that key community agencies work together
to prevent animal hoarders from harming the large number of animals they gain
control over,” says LaFarge. “Social service agencies must collaborate with
animal shelters and law enforcement to intervene to save the animals and then
follow up with years of monitoring to prevent a recurrence. The general public
needs to be educated to realize that the hoarder is not just a nice little old
lady who 'loves too much.'” </em></strong></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin: 0in 0in 10pt;">
<span style="font-family: "Times New Roman","serif"; font-size: 12pt; line-height: 115%;"><strong><em><u>Are There Laws Against Animal Hoarding?</u> </em></strong></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin: 0in 0in 10pt;">
<span style="font-family: "Times New Roman","serif"; font-size: 12pt; line-height: 115%;"><strong><em>Animal hoarding is covered implicitly under every
state's animal cruelty statute, which typically requires caretakers to provide
sufficient food and water, veterinary care and a sanitary environment. Only two
states, Illinois and Hawaii, currently have statutory language specifically
addressing animal hoarding. With guidance from ASPCA, the Illinois Companion
Animal Hoarder Act was created in 2001 to create a legal definition for
“companion animal hoarder” and mandate counseling for those convicted of animal
cruelty who meet the definition. Animal hoarding itself is not prohibited by
the statute. Hawaii's 2008 law is the only state law specifically outlawing
animal hoarding. It does not mandate psychological counseling for convicted
hoarders or restrict future animal ownership. Anti-hoarding legislation has
been proposed, but not passed, in several other states. </em></strong></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin: 0in 0in 10pt;">
<span style="font-family: "Times New Roman","serif"; font-size: 12pt; line-height: 115%;"><strong><em><u>How Can I Help?</u> </em></strong></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin: 0in 0in 10pt;">
<span style="font-family: "Times New Roman","serif"; font-size: 12pt; line-height: 115%;"><strong><em>If you think someone you know is struggling with
animal hoarding, here are some ways you can help:</em></strong></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin: 0in 0in 10pt;">
<span style="font-family: "Times New Roman","serif"; font-size: 12pt; line-height: 115%;"><strong><em>•Pick up the phone and call your local humane law
enforcement department, police department, animal shelter, animal welfare group
or veterinarian to initiate the process. You may not want to get the person “in
trouble,” but a phone call may be the first step to get them and the animals
the help they need. “Often people don't report hoarding situations because they
are worried the hoarder will get in trouble or that the animals will get taken
away,” says the ASPCA's Allison Cardona, Director of Disaster Response. “What I
would like to stress is that these situations only get worse with time, and the
animals always end up getting taken out of the home. It is always better to say
something—this is the first step for both the animals and the people to get the
help they need.” </em></strong></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin: 0in 0in 10pt;">
<span style="font-family: "Times New Roman","serif"; font-size: 12pt; line-height: 115%;"><strong><em>•Educate others about the misery involved in a
hoarding situation. Animal hoarding has often been portrayed as an
eccentricity—the elderly “cat lady.” The public needs to be made aware of the
greater harm caused by animal hoarding. </em></strong></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin: 0in 0in 10pt;">
<span style="font-family: "Times New Roman","serif"; font-size: 12pt; line-height: 115%;"><strong><em>•Contact social service groups and ask them to get
involved. Animal hoarding is not just about the animals. Your local department
of the aging, adult protective services, health departments and other mental
health agencies may be able to provide services or links to services. It's
important to get the animal hoarder connected to the right services. </em></strong></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin: 0in 0in 10pt;">
<span style="font-family: "Times New Roman","serif"; font-size: 12pt; line-height: 115%;"><strong><em>•Reassure the animal hoarder that it's okay to
accept help. Animal hoarders are usually worried that their animals will be
killed or that they will never see them again. Regardless of the outcome,
assure them that the animals need urgent care and that immediate action is
necessary.</em></strong></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin: 0in 0in 10pt;">
<span style="font-family: "Times New Roman","serif"; font-size: 12pt; line-height: 115%;"><strong><em>•Volunteer your time. With the removal of so many
animals from a hoarding situation, the burden on local shelters can be
staggering. Volunteer your time to help clean cages, socialize animals, walk
dogs and perform other such necessary duties. </em></strong></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin: 0in 0in 10pt;">
<span style="font-family: "Times New Roman","serif"; font-size: 12pt; line-height: 115%;"><strong><em>•Keep in touch. In many cases the animals are too
unsocialized or too old and sick to be considered adoptable. However, it may be
appropriate for the animals to be spayed and neutered and returned to the home
if the animal hoarder can provide—or can be aided in providing—care. Under the
guidance of an organization, help the individual with daily animal care chores.
And if the individual acquires new animals, help ensure that they are
spayed/neutered and vaccinated. </em></strong></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin: 0in 0in 10pt;">
<span style="font-family: "Times New Roman","serif"; font-size: 12pt; line-height: 115%;"><strong><em>•Support local legislation. Laws that recognize
hoarding as unlawful with appropriate punishment and mandatory treatment are
necessary. Even though hoarding cases exhibit typical characteristics of animal
abuse, they are rarely prosecuted because they fail to show the individual's
intent to harm.</em></strong></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin: 0in 0in 10pt;">
<span style="font-family: "Times New Roman","serif"; font-size: 12pt; line-height: 115%;">Adapted from: <a href="http://www.aspca.org/fight-animal-cruelty/animal-hoarding/animal-hoarding-faq#laws"><span style="color: blue;">http://www.aspca.org/fight-animal-cruelty/animal-hoarding/animal-hoarding-faq#laws</span></a>
</span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin: 0in 0in 0pt;">
<em><span style="color: black;">~~The goal of this blog is to
provide general information and advice to help you be a better pet owner and to
have a more rewarding relationship with your pet. This blog does not intend to
replace the professional one-on-one care your pet receives from a practicing
veterinarian. When in doubt about your pet's health, always visit a
veterinarian.~~<o:p></o:p></span></em></div>
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Helpful Buckeyehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/18134633849820948837noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-16663019142577616.post-12811817195221819762013-02-10T23:00:00.000-07:002013-02-10T23:00:01.877-07:00HOUSETRAINING ADULT AND SENIOR DOGS<br />
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Desperado and Helpful Buckeye enjoyed a really nice birthday dinner on Saturday with a couple of good friends...the celebration was actually for both Desperado and the lady of the couple since they share the same birthday. It was a great start for Desperado's next year!<br />
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Then, of course, we've got Valentine's Day creeping up on us this week. Helpful Buckeye will have a few culinary surprises ready for our dinner that evening....<br />
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We're both getting itchy to get back outside and do some hikes we weren't able to do last year due to Desperado's problematic joints. After therapy and some medications, she's ready to go again. We both subscribe to the theory of one of history's greatest scientists: <span style="font-family: "Times New Roman","serif"; font-size: 12pt; mso-ansi-language: EN-US; mso-bidi-language: AR-SA; mso-fareast-font-family: "Times New Roman"; mso-fareast-language: EN-US;"><strong><em>"An object at rest tends to stay at rest, and an object
in motion tends to stay in motion."</em> – Sir Isaac Newton</strong>...given a choice, we always prefer staying in motion.</span><br />
<span style="font-family: "Times New Roman","serif"; font-size: 12pt; mso-ansi-language: EN-US; mso-bidi-language: AR-SA; mso-fareast-font-family: "Times New Roman"; mso-fareast-language: EN-US;"></span><br />
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<br />
<span style="font-family: "Times New Roman","serif"; font-size: 12pt; mso-ansi-language: EN-US; mso-bidi-language: AR-SA; mso-fareast-font-family: "Times New Roman"; mso-fareast-language: EN-US;">Helpful Buckeye appreciates all the e-mails received about last week's topic of housetraining for puppies. Many of you found it helpful for puppies that showed up at Christmas time and others said they would be saving the information for upcoming puppies. On a related topic, Helpful Buckeye presents this week some advice on doing the housetraining again, but this time on adult and senior dogs.</span><br />
<span style="font-family: "Times New Roman","serif"; font-size: 12pt; mso-ansi-language: EN-US; mso-bidi-language: AR-SA; mso-fareast-font-family: "Times New Roman"; mso-fareast-language: EN-US;"></span><br />
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<span style="font-family: "Times New Roman","serif"; font-size: 12pt; line-height: 115%;"><strong><em><span style="color: #38761d;"><span style="font-size: x-large;">Housetraining Adult and Senior Dogs<o:p></o:p></span></span></em></strong></span></span></div>
<strong><em><span style="color: #38761d;">
</span></em></strong><br />
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<span style="font-family: "Times New Roman","serif"; font-size: 12pt; line-height: 115%;"><strong><em><span style="color: #38761d;">Any dog, even a fully housetrained adult dog, may
have house-soiling accidents when he first moves to your home. The stress of
new surroundings and a new schedule can disrupt his routine. Usually, once he
gets accustomed to your household schedule, the accidents stop. </span></em></strong></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: "Times New Roman","serif"; font-size: 12pt; line-height: 115%;"><strong><em><span style="color: #38761d;">It's also possible he's never been housetrained.
Give him a few weeks to settle in to his new home and follow the procedures for
housetraining puppies.</span></em></strong></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: "Times New Roman","serif"; font-size: 12pt; line-height: 115%;"><strong><em><span style="color: #38761d;">Here are some reasons why adult and senior dogs
might have accidents in the house: </span></em></strong></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: "Times New Roman","serif"; line-height: 115%;"><strong><em><span style="color: #38761d;"><u>Senior dogs</u></span></em></strong></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: "Times New Roman","serif"; font-size: 12pt; line-height: 115%;"><strong><em><span style="color: #38761d;">As your dog ages, he may need to eliminate more
often than in the past. Just as people can have difficulties as they age, so
can dogs. They may not be able to "hold it" as long as they used to.
They also may become incontinent. This is not a housetraining issue.</span></em></strong></span><br />
<span style="font-family: "Times New Roman","serif"; font-size: 12pt; line-height: 115%;"><strong><em><span style="color: #38761d;"></span></em></strong></span><br />
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<span style="font-family: "Times New Roman","serif"; font-size: 12pt; line-height: 115%;"><strong><em><span style="color: #38761d;">If your senior dog has accidents frequently, your
vet should examine him for possible medical problems. If the vet says it's not
a medical issue, you will have to manage the situation instead of trying to
housetrain the dog.</span></em></strong></span><br />
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<span style="font-family: "Times New Roman","serif"; font-size: 12pt; line-height: 115%;"><strong><em><span style="color: #38761d;">If you are at work all day, you may need to:</span></em></strong></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: "Times New Roman","serif"; font-size: 12pt; line-height: 115%;"><strong><em><span style="color: #38761d;"><span style="mso-spacerun: yes;">H</span>ire a pet
sitter to visit your dog to let him outside. </span></em></strong></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: "Times New Roman","serif"; font-size: 12pt; line-height: 115%;"><strong><em><span style="color: #38761d;">Confine him to a room of the house where accidents
will be easy to clean up. </span></em></strong></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: "Times New Roman","serif"; font-size: 12pt; line-height: 115%;"><strong><em><span style="color: #38761d;">Try sanitary products on your dog, such as doggie
diapers. They fit like little pants and hold a disposable absorbent pad to
catch the urine. These work best on female dogs. Belly bands—fabric bands that
wrap around the dog's waist and contain an absorbent pad—are available for male
dogs. They're available at most pet stores and online. </span></em></strong></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: "Times New Roman","serif"; font-size: 12pt; line-height: 115%;"><strong><em><span style="color: #38761d;"><u>Small dogs</u></span></em></strong></span><br />
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<span style="font-family: "Times New Roman","serif"; font-size: 12pt; line-height: 115%;"><strong><em><span style="color: #38761d;">Because of their short legs and small size, you may
need to make some special accommodations for your small dog:</span></em></strong></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: "Times New Roman","serif"; font-size: 12pt; line-height: 115%;"><strong><em><span style="color: #38761d;">Provide a
sheltered spot near the house or under a porch or deck for your dog to
eliminate in bad weather.</span></em></strong></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: "Times New Roman","serif"; font-size: 12pt; line-height: 115%;"><strong><em><span style="color: #38761d;">Provide a
bathroom spot covered with mulch or gravel so your little dog won't have tall
and/or wet grass pressing against his tummy when he eliminates.</span></em></strong></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: "Times New Roman","serif"; font-size: 12pt; line-height: 115%;"><strong><em><span style="color: #38761d;">Clear a path
or other area for your dog to eliminate when it snows.</span></em></strong></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: "Times New Roman","serif"; font-size: 12pt; line-height: 115%;"><strong><em><span style="color: #38761d;">Follow our basic housetraining procedures to
housetrain your dog.</span></em></strong></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: "Times New Roman","serif"; font-size: 12pt; line-height: 115%;"><strong><em><span style="color: #38761d;"><u>Other types of house-soiling problems</u></span></em></strong></span><br />
<strong><em><u><span style="color: #38761d;"></span></u></em></strong><br />
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<span style="font-family: "Times New Roman","serif"; font-size: 12pt; line-height: 115%;"><strong><em><span style="color: #38761d;">If you've consistently followed the housetraining
procedures and your dog continues to eliminate in the house, there may be
another reason for his behavior, such as: </span></em></strong></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: "Times New Roman","serif"; font-size: 12pt; line-height: 115%;"><strong><em><span style="color: #38761d;">Medical problems: House-soiling can often be caused
by physical problems such as a urinary tract infection, a parasite infection,
or even a seizure. Check with your veterinarian to rule out any possibility of
disease or illness. </span></em></strong></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: "Times New Roman","serif"; font-size: 12pt; line-height: 115%;"><strong><em><span style="color: #38761d;">Submissive or excitement urination: Some dogs,
especially young ones, temporarily lose control of their bladders when they
become excited or feel threatened. Submissive or excitement urination usually
occurs during greetings or periods of intense play, or when they're about to be
punished. </span></em></strong></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: "Times New Roman","serif"; font-size: 12pt; line-height: 115%;"><strong><em><span style="color: #38761d;">Prevent submissive urination-</span></em></strong></span></div>
<span style="font-family: "Times New Roman","serif"; font-size: 12pt; line-height: 115%;"><h1 style="text-align: center;">
<em><span style="color: #38761d;">Submissive Urination</span></em></h1>
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<strong><em><span style="color: #38761d;">In a pack, dogs have many ways to show the leader that they accept his role as top dog and thus avoid a confrontation. One way is to roll on their backs and urinate on themselves. </span></em></strong></div>
<strong><em><span style="color: #38761d;">Submissive urination is common and normal in puppies, who will usually outgrow the behavior. But some puppies remain timid into adulthood, and submissive urination can become a problem in the home.</span></em></strong><br />
<strong><em><span style="color: #38761d;"></span></em></strong><br />
<strong><em><span style="color: #38761d;">Signs of submissive urination are when he urinates:</span></em></strong>
<ul>
<li><strong><em><span style="color: #38761d;">When he's being scolded. </span></em></strong>
<li><strong><em><span style="color: #38761d;">When a person approaches him. </span></em></strong>
<li><strong><em><span style="color: #38761d;">When he's being greeted. </span></em></strong>
<li><strong><em><span style="color: #38761d;">When there's a disturbance such as a loud argument or sirens blaring. </span></em></strong>
<li><strong><em><span style="color: #38761d;">While making submissive postures, such as crouching, tail tucking, or rolling over and exposing his belly.</span></em></strong></li>
</li>
</li>
</li>
</li>
</ul>
<span style="color: #38761d;"><em><strong>If your dog urinates when he's playing or being greeted but doesn’t exhibit submissive postures, he has a different problem:</strong></em> <strong><em>excitement urination (discussed below).</em></strong></span>
<h3>
<em><span style="color: #38761d; font-size: small;">Why does my dog do this?</span></em></h3>
<strong><em><span style="color: #38761d;">Dogs who urinate in submission are usually shy, anxious, or timid and may have a history of being treated harshly or punished inappropriately. A dog who's unclear of the rules and unsure how to behave will be chronically insecure. He urinates and adopts submissive postures to mollify anyone he perceives as a "leader" and to avoid punishment.</span></em></strong>
<h3>
<em><span style="color: #38761d; font-size: small;">Recommendations</span></em></h3>
<strong><em><span style="color: #38761d;">First, take your dog to your veterinarian to rule out any medical reasons for the behavior. </span></em></strong><br />
<strong><em><span style="color: #38761d;">Then, start building up his confidence with these steps:</span></em></strong>
<ul>
<li><strong><em><span style="color: #38761d;">Teach him commands using positive reinforcement training methods. </span></em></strong>
<li><strong><em><span style="color: #38761d;">Keep his routine and environment as consistent as possible. </span></em></strong>
<li><strong><em><span style="color: #38761d;">Gradually expose him to new people and new situations and try to ensure that his new experiences are positive and happy. </span></em></strong>
<li><strong><em><span style="color: #38761d;">Keep greetings low-key (no bear hugs or loud voices, which your dog may perceive as acts of dominance). </span></em></strong>
<li><strong><em><span style="color: #38761d;">Encourage and reward confident postures such as sitting or standing. </span></em></strong>
<li><strong><em><span style="color: #38761d;">Give him an alternative to submissive behaviors. For example, have him "sit" or "shake" as you approach, and reward him for obeying. </span></em></strong>
<li><strong><em><span style="color: #38761d;">Avoid approaching him with postures that he may interpret as dominant or confrontational. Avoid direct eye contact; look at his back or tail instead. Get down on his level by bending at the knees rather than leaning over from the waist. Ask others to approach him in the same way. Pet him under the chin rather than the top of his head. Approach him from the side, rather than head on, and/or present the side of your body to him. </span></em></strong>
<li><strong><em><span style="color: #38761d;">Eliminate odors wherever your dog submissively urinates</span><span style="color: #38761d;"> especially if he isn't completely housetrained</span><span style="color: #38761d;">. </span></em></strong>
<li><strong><em><span style="color: #38761d;">Don't punish or scold him for submissive urination. This will only make the problem worse. </span></em></strong>
<li><strong><em><span style="color: #38761d;">If your dog is extremely fearful, ask your vet about medications that may help during the retraining process.</span></em></strong></li>
</li>
</li>
</li>
</li>
</li>
</li>
</li>
</li>
</li>
</ul>
<strong><em><span style="color: #38761d;">Above all, be patient. It will take time for your dog to gain confidence, but with you leading the way, he can overcome his fears and blossom into a happy, secure dog.</span></em></strong>
<strong><em><span style="color: #38761d;"></span></em></strong> </span><br />
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<span style="font-family: "Times New Roman","serif"; font-size: 12pt; line-height: 115%;"><strong><em><span style="color: #38761d;">Prevent excitement urination-</span></em></strong></span></div>
<span style="font-family: "Times New Roman","serif"; font-size: 12pt; line-height: 115%;"><h1 style="text-align: center;">
<em><span style="color: #38761d;">Excitement Urination</span></em></h1>
<div class="author">
<strong><em><span style="color: #38761d;">Excitement urination occurs most often during greetings and playtime and isn't accompanied by submissive postures as in submissive urination.</span></em></strong><strong><em><span style="color: #38761d;"> </span></em></strong></div>
<strong><em><span style="color: #38761d;"></span></em></strong><br />
<strong><em><span style="color: #38761d;">Excitement urination is common in young dogs and puppies who don't yet have complete control over their bladders. It usually resolves on its own as a dog matures. In some cases, however, the problem can persist if the dog is frequently punished or if the dog's behavior is inadvertently reinforced—such as by petting or talking to your dog in a soothing or coddling tone of voice after he urinates when excited.</span></em></strong><br />
<strong><em><span style="color: #38761d;"></span></em></strong><br />
<strong><em><span style="color: #38761d;">Signs of excitement urination</span></em></strong>
<ul>
<li><strong><em><span style="color: #38761d;">He urinates when excited, such as during greetings or playtime. </span></em></strong>
<li><strong><em><span style="color: #38761d;">He urinates when excited and is less than 1 year old.</span></em></strong></li>
</li>
</ul>
<strong><em><span style="color: #38761d;">Recommendations</span></em></strong>
<ul>
<li><strong><em><span style="color: #38761d;">Take your dog to the veterinarian to rule out medical reasons for the behavior. </span></em></strong>
<li><strong><em><span style="color: #38761d;">To avoid accidents, play outdoors until the problem is resolved. </span></em></strong>
<li><strong><em><span style="color: #38761d;">Take frequent walks to make sure your dog's bladder stays as empty as possible. </span></em></strong>
<li><strong><em><span style="color: #38761d;">Make sure your dog gets plenty of vigorous exercise. </span></em></strong>
<li><strong><em><span style="color: #38761d;">Don't punish or scold him for urinating when he's excited. </span></em></strong>
<li><strong><em><span style="color: #38761d;">Keep greetings low-key. No high-pitched baby talk, hand-clapping, hugging, or rough-housing. </span></em></strong>
<li><strong><em><span style="color: #38761d;">When he's excited, ignore him until he's calm.</span></em></strong></li>
</li>
</li>
</li>
</li>
</li>
</li>
</ul>
</span><span style="font-family: "Times New Roman","serif"; font-size: 12pt; line-height: 115%;"><strong><em><span style="color: #38761d;">Territorial urine marking: Dogs sometimes deposit
small amounts of urine or feces to scent-mark their territory. Both male and
female dogs do this, and it most often occurs when they believe their territory
has been invaded.</span></em></strong></span><br />
<strong><em><span style="color: #38761d;"></span></em></strong><br />
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<span style="font-family: "Times New Roman","serif"; line-height: 115%;"><em><span style="color: #38761d;"><strong><span style="font-size: large;">Urine-marking Behaviors</span></strong> </span></em></span></div>
<span style="font-family: "Times New Roman","serif"; font-size: 12pt; line-height: 115%;"> </span><br />
<span style="font-family: "Times New Roman","serif"; font-size: 12pt; line-height: 115%;"><div class="caption">
<strong><em><span style="color: #38761d;">You mark your stuff by putting your name on it; your dog marks his with urine. We've covered why dogs mark their territory</span></em></strong><a href="http://www.humanesociety.org/animals/dogs/tips/urine_marking.html"><strong><em><span style="color: #38761d;">,</span></em></strong></a><strong><em><span style="color: #38761d;"> now here's how to prevent urine-marking behaviors before they happen in your house.</span></em></strong></div>
<div class="caption">
<strong><em><span style="color: #38761d;"> </span></em></strong></div>
<strong><em><span style="color: #38761d;">Before doing anything else, take your dog to the veterinarian to rule out any medical causes for the urine-marking behavior. If he gets a clean bill of health, use the following tips to make sure he doesn't start marking his territory.</span></em></strong><br />
<br />
<h3>
<em><span style="color: #38761d;">Spay (or neuter) first</span></em></h3>
<strong><em><span style="color: #38761d;">Spay or neuter</span><span style="color: #38761d;"> your dog as soon as possible. The longer a dog goes before neutering, the more difficult it will be to train him not to mark in the house. Spaying or neutering your dog should reduce urine-marking and may stop it altogether.</span></em></strong><br />
<br />
<strong><em><span style="color: #38761d;">But if he has been marking for a long time, a pattern may already be established. Because it has become a learned behavior, spaying or neutering alone won't solve the problem. Use techniques for housetraining an adult dog to modify your dog's marking behavior.</span></em></strong><br />
<strong><em><span style="color: #38761d;"></span></em></strong><br />
<strong><em><span style="color: #38761d;">More tips</span></em></strong>
<ul>
<li><strong><em><span style="color: #38761d;">Clean soiled areas thoroughly with a cleaner specifically designed to eliminate urine odor. </span></em></strong>
<li><strong><em><span style="color: #38761d;">Make previously soiled areas inaccessible or unattractive. If this isn't possible, try to change the significance of those areas to your pet. Feed, treat, and play with your pet in the areas where he marks. </span></em></strong>
<li><strong><em><span style="color: #38761d;">Keep objects likely to cause marking out of reach. Items such as guests' belongings and new purchases should be placed in a closet or cabinet. </span></em></strong>
<li><strong><em><span style="color: #38761d;">Resolve conflicts between animals in your home. </span></em></strong>
<li><strong><em><span style="color: #38761d;">Restrict your dog's access to doors and windows so he can't observe animals outside. If this isn't possible, discourage the presence of other animals near your house. </span></em></strong>
<li><strong><em><span style="color: #38761d;">Make friends. If your pet is marking in response to a new resident in your home (such as a roommate or spouse), have the new resident make friends with your pet by feeding, grooming, and playing with your pet. If you have a new baby, make sure good things happen to your pet when the baby is around. </span></em></strong>
<li><strong><em><span style="color: #38761d;">Watch your dog when he is indoors for signs that he is thinking about urinating. When he begins to urinate, interrupt him with a loud noise and take him outside. If he urinates outside, praise him and give him a treat. </span></em></strong>
<li><strong><em><span style="color: #38761d;">When you're unable to watch him, confine your dog (a crate</span></em></strong><strong><em><span style="color: #38761d;"> or small room where he has never marked) or tether him to you with a leash. </span></em></strong>
<li><strong><em><span style="color: #38761d;">Have your dog obey at least one command (such as "sit") before you give him dinner, put on his leash to go for a walk, or throw him a toy. </span></em></strong>
<li><strong><em><span style="color: #38761d;">If your dog is marking out of anxiety, talk to your vet about medicating him with a short course of anti-anxiety medication. This will calm him down and make behavior modification more effective. </span></em></strong>
<li><strong><em><span style="color: #38761d;">Consult an animal behaviorist for help with resolving the marking issues.</span></em></strong></li>
</li>
</li>
</li>
</li>
</li>
</li>
</li>
</li>
</li>
</li>
</ul>
<h3>
<em><span style="color: #38761d;">What NOT to do</span></em></h3>
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiIDvZ6s0kC6bVjN_HTFL2li-qaOgkmWV3PtuzlPdrqvHd4yG1bMS_DIlyjKaTqWMN8beWNtZJjacX5wjKL7th0Ci0zk48mR7a7FAJ-rpnczj5j1nUytYTx8_nfGRyJjz3WdwN1XO9FHI8/s1600/Forbidden.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiIDvZ6s0kC6bVjN_HTFL2li-qaOgkmWV3PtuzlPdrqvHd4yG1bMS_DIlyjKaTqWMN8beWNtZJjacX5wjKL7th0Ci0zk48mR7a7FAJ-rpnczj5j1nUytYTx8_nfGRyJjz3WdwN1XO9FHI8/s1600/Forbidden.jpg" /></a></div>
<br />
<strong><em><span style="color: #38761d;">Don't punish your pet after the fact. Punishment administered even a minute after the event is ineffective because your pet won't understand why he is being punished.</span></em></strong><br />
<strong><em><span style="color: #38761d;"></span></em></strong><br />
<strong><em><span style="color: #38761d;">If you come home and find that your dog has urinated on all kinds of things, just clean up the mess. Don't take him over to the spots and yell and rub his nose in them. He won't associate the punishment with something he may have done hours ago, leading to confusion and possibly fear.</span></em></strong>
</span><br />
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<span style="font-family: "Times New Roman","serif"; font-size: 12pt; line-height: 115%;"><strong><em><span style="color: #38761d;">Separation anxiety: Dogs who become anxious when
they're left alone may house-soil as a result. Usually, there are other
symptoms as well, such as destructive behavior or vocalization. Learn more
about separation anxiety by going to our earlier presentations, which can be found in the "Labels" column to the left. </span></em></strong></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: "Times New Roman","serif"; font-size: 12pt; line-height: 115%;"><strong><em><span style="color: #38761d;">Fears or phobias: When animals become frightened,
they may lose control of their bladder and/or bowels. If your puppy is afraid
of loud noises, such as thunderstorms or fireworks, he may house soil when he's
exposed to these sounds. </span></em></strong></span></div>
Adapted from: <span style="font-family: "Calibri","sans-serif"; font-size: 11pt; line-height: 115%; mso-ansi-language: EN-US; mso-ascii-theme-font: minor-latin; mso-bidi-font-family: "Times New Roman"; mso-bidi-language: AR-SA; mso-bidi-theme-font: minor-bidi; mso-fareast-font-family: Calibri; mso-fareast-language: EN-US; mso-fareast-theme-font: minor-latin; mso-hansi-theme-font: minor-latin;"><a href="http://www.humanesociety.org/animals/dogs/tips/housetraining_adult_dogs.html"><span style="font-family: "Times New Roman","serif"; font-size: 12pt; line-height: 115%;"><span style="color: blue;">http://www.humanesociety.org/animals/dogs/tips/housetraining_adult_dogs.html</span></span></a></span> <br />
<br />
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<em><span style="color: black;">~~The goal of this blog is to
provide general information and advice to help you be a better pet owner and to
have a more rewarding relationship with your pet. This blog does not intend to
replace the professional one-on-one care your pet receives from a practicing
veterinarian. When in doubt about your pet's health, always visit a
veterinarian.~~<o:p></o:p></span></em></div>
Helpful Buckeyehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/18134633849820948837noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-16663019142577616.post-82681299022139611262013-02-03T23:00:00.000-07:002013-02-03T23:00:07.324-07:00HOUSETRAINING A PUPPY<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
</div>
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</div>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiOVLUrJX7mRj4aENiU_DdPuygvUIY0Q_R-GLOCshx3Lh3GjlOTrKS0KG5VMhpEnoAy1uNrTuHqpSX5NG32EDz2lEdSGn2d8gDUMiKkNLOW-CB0DwIuDaIjJEtRNht1PllhKuWgbgagMvQ/s1600/Ground+Hog.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiOVLUrJX7mRj4aENiU_DdPuygvUIY0Q_R-GLOCshx3Lh3GjlOTrKS0KG5VMhpEnoAy1uNrTuHqpSX5NG32EDz2lEdSGn2d8gDUMiKkNLOW-CB0DwIuDaIjJEtRNht1PllhKuWgbgagMvQ/s1600/Ground+Hog.jpg" /></a></div>
<br />
<span style="font-family: Times, "Times New Roman", serif; font-size: large;">Desperado and Helpful Buckeye watched <em>Groundhog Day</em> last night, one of our favorite movies marking an annual event. Of course, it was...D<span style="line-height: 115%;">éja vu, all over again. The annual celebration, which takes place just a few miles up the road from our hometown, really gets the full treatment in this movie. For those of you who have seen the movie a few times, you'll remember the scene in which there is an off-handed remark about a "veterinary psychologist."</span>
</span><br />
<b style="mso-bidi-font-weight: normal;"><em><span style="font-family: Times, "Times New Roman", serif; font-size: large;"></span></em></b><br />
<b style="mso-bidi-font-weight: normal;"><span style="font-family: Times, "Times New Roman", serif;"><span style="font-size: large;"><em>“There are two ways of spreading
light: to be the candle or the mirror that reflects it.”</em><span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>Edith Wharton, Author</span></span></b><br />
<b style="mso-bidi-font-weight: normal;"><span style="font-family: Times, "Times New Roman", serif; font-size: large;"></span></b><br />
<span style="font-family: Times, "Times New Roman", serif; font-size: large;">With this being early February, and both Desperado's birthday AND Valentine's Day coming up soon, Desperado will be the candle and I'll be thrilled to be the mirror. She deserves the spotlight...for a lot of reasons. I've got some interesting things cooked up for both of those celebrations.</span><br />
<span style="font-family: Times, "Times New Roman", serif; font-size: large;"></span><br />
<span style="font-family: Times, "Times New Roman", serif; font-size: large;">In the many issues of <strong><em><span style="color: #990000;">Questions On Dogs and Cats</span></em></strong> we've run in the almost 5 years of our existence, we've included several articles on what you should do when you bring home a new puppy. However, we haven't said much about housetraining those puppies...until now. Many of you don't have a new puppy in the house and might be wondering if you should even read this issue. Well, you already know the answer to that. Of course, you should read it...if you already have a dog, statistics say that you will get another one at some point and that one will probably be a puppy. Listen up...and go over to the newspaper in the corner of the room!</span><br />
<span style="font-family: Times;"></span><br />
<span style="font-family: Times;"><span style="font-family: Times New Roman;">
</span></span><br />
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<span style="font-family: "Times New Roman","serif"; line-height: 115%;"><span style="color: black; font-family: Times, "Times New Roman", serif; font-size: x-large;"><strong><em>Housetraining Puppies</em></strong></span></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: "Times New Roman","serif"; font-size: 12pt; line-height: 115%;"><span style="color: black; font-family: Times, "Times New Roman", serif;"><strong><em>Housetraining your puppy requires far more than a
few stacks of old newspapers—it calls for vigilance, patience, plenty of
commitment and above all, consistency. </em></strong></span></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: "Times New Roman","serif"; font-size: 12pt; line-height: 115%;"><span style="color: black; font-family: Times, "Times New Roman", serif;"><strong><em>By following the procedures outlined below, you can
minimize house soiling incidents. Virtually every dog, especially puppies, will
have an accident in the house, and more likely, several. Expect this—it's part
of living with a puppy. </em></strong></span></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: "Times New Roman","serif"; font-size: 12pt; line-height: 115%;"><span style="color: black; font-family: Times, "Times New Roman", serif;"><strong><em>The more consistent you are in following the basic
housetraining procedures, the faster your puppy will learn acceptable behavior.
It may take several weeks to housetrain your puppy, and with some of the
smaller breeds, it might take longer. </em></strong></span></span><br />
<strong><em><span style="color: #0b5394; font-family: Times;"></span></em></strong><br />
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgIAtPi6wqd6ZMITTgTrfq_BpP49ZI-Ls62ybxK9swftOjSmYfObUzzPXYcSydv7lZR0MIlK3PpAtqFEnv4le8phRI34dTliBrw560JuZEpFE0F_GO8yNt8snwL0GYdTeDhQGtj4vaHTxI/s1600/Pups.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="239" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgIAtPi6wqd6ZMITTgTrfq_BpP49ZI-Ls62ybxK9swftOjSmYfObUzzPXYcSydv7lZR0MIlK3PpAtqFEnv4le8phRI34dTliBrw560JuZEpFE0F_GO8yNt8snwL0GYdTeDhQGtj4vaHTxI/s320/Pups.jpg" width="320" /></a></div>
<span style="font-family: "Times New Roman","serif"; font-size: 12pt; line-height: 115%;"><span style="font-family: Times, "Times New Roman", serif;"><strong><em><span style="color: #0b5394;"><u></u></span></em></strong></span></span><br />
<span style="font-family: "Times New Roman","serif"; font-size: 12pt; line-height: 115%;"><span style="font-family: Times, "Times New Roman", serif;"><strong><em><span style="color: #0b5394;"><u><span style="color: black;">Establ</span><span style="color: black;">ish a routine</span></u></span><span style="color: black;"> </span></em></strong></span></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: "Times New Roman","serif"; font-size: 12pt; line-height: 115%;"><span style="color: black; font-family: Times, "Times New Roman", serif;"><strong><em>Like babies, puppies do best on a regular schedule.
The schedule teaches him that there are times to eat, times to play, and times
to potty. </em></strong></span></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: "Times New Roman","serif"; font-size: 12pt; line-height: 115%;"><span style="color: black; font-family: Times, "Times New Roman", serif;"><strong><em>Generally speaking, a puppy can control his bladder
one hour for every month of age. So if your puppy is two months old, he can
hold it for about two hours. Don't go longer than this between bathroom breaks
or he's guaranteed to have an accident. If you work outside the home, this
means you'll have to hire a dog walker to give your puppy his breaks. </em></strong></span></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: "Times New Roman","serif"; font-size: 12pt; line-height: 115%;"><span style="color: black; font-family: Times, "Times New Roman", serif;"><strong><em>Take your puppy outside frequently—at least every
two hours—and immediately after he wakes up, during and after playing, and
after eating or drinking. </em></strong></span></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: "Times New Roman","serif"; font-size: 12pt; line-height: 115%;"><span style="color: black; font-family: Times, "Times New Roman", serif;"><strong><em>Pick a bathroom spot outside, and always take your
puppy to that spot using a leash. While your puppy is eliminating, use a word
or phrase, like "go potty," that you can eventually use before he
eliminates to remind him what to do. Take him out for a longer walk or some
playtime only after he has eliminated. </em></strong></span></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: "Times New Roman","serif"; font-size: 12pt; line-height: 115%;"><span style="color: black; font-family: Times, "Times New Roman", serif;"><strong><em>Reward your puppy every time he eliminates outdoors.
Praise him or give him a treat—but remember to do so immediately after he's
finished eliminating, not after he comes back inside the house. This step is
vital, because rewarding your dog for eliminating outdoors is the only way
he'll know what's expected of him. Before rewarding him, be sure he's finished
eliminating. Puppies are easily distracted. If you praise him too soon, he may
forget to finish until he's back in the house. </em></strong></span></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: "Times New Roman","serif"; font-size: 12pt; line-height: 115%;"><span style="color: black; font-family: Times, "Times New Roman", serif;"><strong><em>Put your puppy on a regular feeding schedule. What
goes into a puppy on a schedule comes out of a puppy on a schedule. Depending
on their age, puppies usually need to be fed three or four times a day. Feeding
your puppy at the same times each day will make it more likely that he'll
eliminate at consistent times as well, and that makes housetraining easier for
both of you.</em></strong></span></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: "Times New Roman","serif"; font-size: 12pt; line-height: 115%;"><span style="color: black; font-family: Times, "Times New Roman", serif;"><strong><em>Pick up your puppy's water dish about two and a half
hours before bedtime to reduce the likelihood that he'll need to potty during
the night. Most puppies can sleep for approximately seven hours without having
to eliminate. </em></strong></span></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: "Times New Roman","serif"; font-size: 12pt; line-height: 115%;"><span style="color: black; font-family: Times, "Times New Roman", serif;"><strong><em>If your puppy does wake you up in the night, don't
make a big deal of it; otherwise, he will think it is time to play and won't
want to go back to sleep. Turn on as few lights as possible, don't talk to or
play with your puppy, take him out to do his business, and return him to his
bed. </em></strong></span></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: "Times New Roman","serif"; font-size: 12pt; line-height: 115%;"><span style="color: black; font-family: Times, "Times New Roman", serif;"><strong><em><u>Supervise </u></em></strong></span></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: "Times New Roman","serif"; font-size: 12pt; line-height: 115%;"><span style="color: black; font-family: Times, "Times New Roman", serif;"><strong><em>Don't give your puppy an opportunity to soil in the
house; keep an eye on him whenever he's indoors.</em></strong></span></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: "Times New Roman","serif"; font-size: 12pt; line-height: 115%;"><span style="color: black; font-family: Times, "Times New Roman", serif;"><strong><em>Tether your puppy to you or a nearby piece of
furniture with a six-foot leash if you are not actively training or playing with
him. Watch for signs your puppy needs to eliminate. Some signs are obvious,
such as barking or scratching at the door, squatting, restlessness, sniffing
around, or circling.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>When you see these
signs, immediately grab the leash and take him outside to his bathroom spot. If
he eliminates, praise him lavishly and reward him with a treat. </em></strong></span></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: "Times New Roman","serif"; font-size: 12pt; line-height: 115%;"><span style="color: black; font-family: Times, "Times New Roman", serif;"><strong><em>Keep your puppy on leash in the yard. During the
housetraining process, your yard should be treated like any other room in your
house. Give your puppy some freedom in the house and yard only after he is
reliably housetrained. </em></strong></span></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: "Times New Roman","serif"; font-size: 12pt; line-height: 115%;"><span style="color: black; font-family: Times, "Times New Roman", serif;"><strong><em><u>Confinement </u></em></strong></span></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: "Times New Roman","serif"; font-size: 12pt; line-height: 115%;"><span style="color: black; font-family: Times, "Times New Roman", serif;"><strong><em>When you're unable to watch your puppy at all times,
he should be confined to an area small enough that he won't want to eliminate
there. The space should be just big enough for him to comfortably stand, lie
down, and turn around in. You can use a portion of a bathroom or laundry room
blocked off with baby gates. </em></strong></span></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: "Times New Roman","serif"; font-size: 12pt; line-height: 115%;"><span style="color: black; font-family: Times, "Times New Roman", serif;"><strong><em>Or you may want to crate train your puppy and use
the crate to confine him. (Be sure to learn how to use a crate humanely as a
method of confinement.) If your puppy has spent several hours in confinement,
you'll need to take him directly to his bathroom spot as soon as you let him
out, and praise him when he eliminates. </em></strong></span></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: "Times New Roman","serif"; font-size: 12pt; line-height: 115%;"><span style="font-family: Times, "Times New Roman", serif;"><strong><em><span style="color: black;"><u>Oops!</u> </span></em></strong></span></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: "Times New Roman","serif"; font-size: 12pt; line-height: 115%;"><span style="color: black; font-family: Times, "Times New Roman", serif;"><strong><em>Expect your puppy to have a few accidents in the house—it's
a normal part of housetraining. </em></strong></span></span><br />
<span style="font-family: "Times New Roman","serif"; font-size: 12pt; line-height: 115%;"><span style="color: black; font-family: Times, "Times New Roman", serif;"><strong><em></em></strong></span></span><br />
<span style="font-family: "Times New Roman","serif"; font-size: 12pt; line-height: 115%;"><span style="color: black; font-family: Times, "Times New Roman", serif;"><strong><em>Here's what to do when that happens:</em></strong></span></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: "Times New Roman","serif"; font-size: 12pt; line-height: 115%;"><span style="color: black; font-family: Times, "Times New Roman", serif;"><strong><em>Interrupt
your puppy when you catch him in the act of eliminating in the house.</em></strong></span></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: "Times New Roman","serif"; font-size: 12pt; line-height: 115%;"><span style="color: black; font-family: Times, "Times New Roman", serif;"><strong><em>Make a
startling noise (be careful not to scare him) or say "OUTSIDE!"
Immediately take him to his bathroom spot, praise him, and give him a treat if
he finishes eliminating there.</em></strong></span></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: "Times New Roman","serif"; font-size: 12pt; line-height: 115%;"><span style="color: black; font-family: Times, "Times New Roman", serif;"><strong><em>Don't punish
your puppy for eliminating in the house. If you find a soiled area, it's too
late to administer a correction. Just clean it up. Rubbing your puppy's nose in
it, taking him to the spot and scolding him, or any other punishment will only
make him afraid of you or afraid to eliminate in your presence. In fact,
punishment will often do more harm than good.</em></strong></span></span></div>
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<strong><em><span style="color: #0b5394; font-family: Times;"></span></em></strong> </div>
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<span style="font-family: "Times New Roman","serif"; font-size: 12pt; line-height: 115%;"><span style="color: black; font-family: Times, "Times New Roman", serif;"><strong><em>Clean the
soiled area thoroughly. Puppies are highly motivated to continue soiling in
areas that smell like urine or feces. Check with your veterinarian or pet store
for products designed specifically to clean areas soiled by pets. </em></strong></span></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: "Times New Roman","serif"; font-size: 12pt; line-height: 115%;"><span style="color: black; font-family: Times, "Times New Roman", serif;"><strong><em>It's extremely important that you use the
supervision and confinement procedures outlined above to minimize the number of
accidents. If you allow your puppy to eliminate frequently in the house, he'll
get confused about where he's supposed to eliminate, which will prolong the
housetraining process.</em></strong></span></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: "Times New Roman","serif"; font-size: 12pt; line-height: 115%;"><span style="font-family: Times, "Times New Roman", serif;"><strong><em><span style="color: black;"><u>When you're away</u> </span></em></strong></span></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: "Times New Roman","serif"; font-size: 12pt; line-height: 115%;"><span style="color: black; font-family: Times, "Times New Roman", serif;"><strong><em>A puppy under six months of age cannot be expected
to control his bladder for more than a few hours at a time (approximately one
hour for each month of age). If you have to be away from home more than four or
five hours a day, this may not be the best time for you to get a puppy;
instead, you may want to consider an older dog, who can wait for your return. </em></strong></span></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: "Times New Roman","serif"; font-size: 12pt; line-height: 115%;"><span style="color: black; font-family: Times, "Times New Roman", serif;"><strong><em>If you already have a puppy and must be away for
long periods of time, you'll need to:</em></strong></span></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: "Times New Roman","serif"; font-size: 12pt; line-height: 115%;"><span style="color: black; font-family: Times, "Times New Roman", serif;"><strong><em>Arrange for
someone, such as a responsible neighbor or a professional pet sitter, to take
him outside to eliminate.</em></strong></span></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: "Times New Roman","serif"; font-size: 12pt; line-height: 115%;"><span style="color: black; font-family: Times, "Times New Roman", serif;"><strong><em>Train him to
eliminate in a specific place indoors. Be aware, however, that doing so can
prolong the process of housetraining. Teaching your puppy to eliminate on
newspaper may create a life-long surface preference, meaning that even as an
adult he may eliminate on any newspaper lying around the living room. </em></strong></span></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: "Times New Roman","serif"; font-size: 12pt; line-height: 115%;"><span style="font-family: Times, "Times New Roman", serif;"><strong><em><span style="color: black;"><u>Paper training</u> </span></em></strong></span></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: "Times New Roman","serif"; font-size: 12pt; line-height: 115%;"><span style="color: black; font-family: Times, "Times New Roman", serif;"><strong><em>When your puppy must be left alone for long periods
of time, confine him to an area with enough room for a sleeping space, a
playing space, and a separate place to eliminate.</em></strong></span></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: "Times New Roman","serif"; font-size: 12pt; line-height: 115%;"><span style="color: black; font-family: Times, "Times New Roman", serif;"><strong><em>In the
designated elimination area, use either newspapers (cover the area with several
layers of newspaper) or a sod box. To make a sod box, place sod in a container
such as a child's small, plastic swimming pool. You can also find dog litter
products at a pet supply store.</em></strong></span></span><br />
<strong><em><span style="color: black; font-family: Times;"></span></em></strong><br />
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<span style="font-family: Times, "Times New Roman", serif;"><strong><em><span style="color: black;">
<span style="font-family: "Times New Roman","serif"; font-size: 12pt; line-height: 115%; mso-ansi-language: EN-US; mso-bidi-language: AR-SA; mso-fareast-font-family: Calibri; mso-fareast-language: EN-US; mso-fareast-theme-font: minor-latin;">If you clean up an accident in the house, put
the soiled rags or paper towels in the designated elimination area. The smell
will help your puppy recognize the area as the place where he is supposed to
eliminate.</span></span></em></strong></span></div>
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<span style="line-height: 115%; mso-ansi-language: EN-US; mso-bidi-language: AR-SA; mso-fareast-font-family: Calibri; mso-fareast-language: EN-US; mso-fareast-theme-font: minor-latin;"><span style="font-family: Times, "Times New Roman", serif;">Adapted from: <span style="line-height: 115%; mso-ansi-language: EN-US; mso-ascii-theme-font: minor-latin; mso-bidi-font-family: "Times New Roman"; mso-bidi-language: AR-SA; mso-bidi-theme-font: minor-bidi; mso-fareast-font-family: Calibri; mso-fareast-language: EN-US; mso-fareast-theme-font: minor-latin; mso-hansi-theme-font: minor-latin;"><a href="http://www.humanesociety.org/animals/dogs/tips/housetraining_puppies.html"><span style="line-height: 115%;"><span style="color: blue;">http://www.humanesociety.org/animals/dogs/tips/housetraining_puppies.html</span></span></a></span></span></span></div>
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<span style="line-height: 115%; mso-ansi-language: EN-US; mso-bidi-language: AR-SA; mso-fareast-font-family: Calibri; mso-fareast-language: EN-US; mso-fareast-theme-font: minor-latin;"><span style="font-family: Times, "Times New Roman", serif; font-size: large; line-height: 115%; mso-ansi-language: EN-US; mso-ascii-theme-font: minor-latin; mso-bidi-font-family: "Times New Roman"; mso-bidi-language: AR-SA; mso-bidi-theme-font: minor-bidi; mso-fareast-font-family: Calibri; mso-fareast-language: EN-US; mso-fareast-theme-font: minor-latin; mso-hansi-theme-font: minor-latin;">A lot of this involves common sense and, if you've had a puppy before, you'll probably recall going through much of this at that time. Even so, a good review is always a rewarding idea. In next week's issue, we'll discuss housetraining for adult and senior dogs.</span></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: "Times New Roman","serif"; line-height: 115%; mso-ansi-language: EN-US; mso-bidi-language: AR-SA; mso-fareast-font-family: Calibri; mso-fareast-language: EN-US; mso-fareast-theme-font: minor-latin;"><span style="font-family: "Calibri","sans-serif"; line-height: 115%; mso-ansi-language: EN-US; mso-ascii-theme-font: minor-latin; mso-bidi-font-family: "Times New Roman"; mso-bidi-language: AR-SA; mso-bidi-theme-font: minor-bidi; mso-fareast-font-family: Calibri; mso-fareast-language: EN-US; mso-fareast-theme-font: minor-latin; mso-hansi-theme-font: minor-latin;"><span style="font-family: Times New Roman; font-size: large;">
</span></span></span></div>
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<em><span style="color: black;"><span style="font-family: Times New Roman;"><span style="font-size: large;">~~The goal of this blog is to
provide general information and advice to help you be a better pet owner and to
have a more rewarding relationship with your pet. This blog does not intend to
replace the professional one-on-one care your pet receives from a practicing
veterinarian. When in doubt about your pet's health, always visit a
veterinarian.~~<o:p></o:p></span></span></span></em></div>
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<span style="font-family: Times New Roman; font-size: small;">
</span></div>
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<span style="font-family: "Times New Roman","serif"; font-size: 12pt; line-height: 115%; mso-ansi-language: EN-US; mso-bidi-language: AR-SA; mso-fareast-font-family: Calibri; mso-fareast-language: EN-US; mso-fareast-theme-font: minor-latin;"><span style="font-family: "Calibri","sans-serif"; font-size: 11pt; line-height: 115%; mso-ansi-language: EN-US; mso-ascii-theme-font: minor-latin; mso-bidi-font-family: "Times New Roman"; mso-bidi-language: AR-SA; mso-bidi-theme-font: minor-bidi; mso-fareast-font-family: Calibri; mso-fareast-language: EN-US; mso-fareast-theme-font: minor-latin; mso-hansi-theme-font: minor-latin;"><span style="font-family: Times;"></span></span></span> </div>
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<span style="font-family: Times New Roman;"><span style="font-family: "Times New Roman","serif"; font-size: 12pt; line-height: 115%; mso-ansi-language: EN-US; mso-bidi-language: AR-SA; mso-fareast-font-family: Calibri; mso-fareast-language: EN-US; mso-fareast-theme-font: minor-latin;"><span style="font-family: "Calibri","sans-serif"; font-size: 11pt; line-height: 115%; mso-ansi-language: EN-US; mso-ascii-theme-font: minor-latin; mso-bidi-font-family: "Times New Roman"; mso-bidi-language: AR-SA; mso-bidi-theme-font: minor-bidi; mso-fareast-font-family: Calibri; mso-fareast-language: EN-US; mso-fareast-theme-font: minor-latin; mso-hansi-theme-font: minor-latin;"></span></span></span> </div>
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Helpful Buckeyehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/18134633849820948837noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-16663019142577616.post-45954505965478133982013-01-27T23:00:00.000-07:002013-01-28T05:33:02.249-07:00PREDICTING YOUR PET'S ILLNESSESThis past week has been full of disruptions related to a renovation project Desperado and Helpful Buckeye have going on. Then today, Sunday, AOL chose to have their software get corrupted beyond comprehension and I had to spend a lot of time with their online help trying to get things resolved...which I finally did. However, the delay ate up a bunch of time that otherwise would have contributed to more creativity to this week's blog. For that, I humbly apologize and promise that next week's issue will get back to more of what our readers normally expect. A special thanks to our friends who have given us help, suggestions, a kind word, and/or a place to crash this past week...we really appreciated it!<br />
<br />
<br />
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<span style="font-family: "Times New Roman","serif"; line-height: 115%;"><span style="color: #351c75; font-size: x-large;"><b><i>Your pet's illnesses can be predicted</i></b></span></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: "Times New Roman","serif"; font-size: 12pt; line-height: 115%;">By Emmet Pierce, Insure.com</span></div>
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<span style="font-family: "Times New Roman","serif"; font-size: 12pt; line-height: 115%;"><b><i><span style="color: #351c75;">As one of only a handful of full-time pet insurance
actuaries in the United States, Laura Bennett's job is to determine what
ailments or injuries are most likely to drive medical costs for your cat or
dog.</span></i></b></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: "Times New Roman","serif"; font-size: 12pt; line-height: 115%;"><b><i><span style="color: #351c75;">Her goal is to use medical data to establish
accurate policy risks for Ohio-based Embrace Pet Insurance, where she is CEO.
Pet insurance rates, just like rates for humans, are determined by the
mathematics of risk. Insurance companies must keep their rates low enough to
remain competitive but high enough to cover claims and be profitable.</span></i></b></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: "Times New Roman","serif"; font-size: 12pt; line-height: 115%;"><b><i><span style="color: #351c75;">If insurance actuaries know your pet's breed, age
and place of residence, they can estimate the cost of medical treatment during
the animal's lifetime. They base predictions on medical data, but location also
is important, since treatment is more expensive if you live in a large urban
center.</span></i></b></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: "Times New Roman","serif"; font-size: 12pt; line-height: 115%;"><b><i><span style="color: #351c75;">One of the keys to saving money on pet insurance is
to buy it while your pet is young and free of disease, Bennett says.
"People should buy this when their dog is healthy." </span></i></b></span></div>
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<b><i><span style="color: #351c75;"><span style="font-family: "Times New Roman","serif"; font-size: 12pt; line-height: 115%;">With growing databases of information to work from,
actuaries have become very important to pet insurance companies, says Carol
McConnell vice president and chief veterinary medical officer at Veterinary Pet
Insurance (VPI), the largest and oldest pet health insurance provider in the
U.S. </span><span style="font-family: "Times New Roman","serif"; font-size: 12pt; line-height: 115%;">"It definitely is a niche," she says of
pet actuary work. "We have a woman who came from auto [insurance] and has
been doing it with us full time for five or six years. We work very closely
with her."</span></span></i></b></div>
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<span style="font-family: "Times New Roman","serif"; line-height: 115%;"><span style="color: #351c75; font-size: large;"><u><b><i>Anticipating illness and injuries</i></b></u></span></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: "Times New Roman","serif"; font-size: 12pt; line-height: 115%;"><b><i><span style="color: #351c75;">Bennett, whose company insures only cats and dogs,
uses breeds to determine the likelihood of certain illnesses and injuries,
particularly among dogs. "Purebred dogs have a lot of breed-specific
conditions," explains Bennett. "A Golden Retriever is prone to hip
dysplasia. It is more common in a Golden Retriever than a Labrador. German
shepherds are even more prone than Golden Retrievers."</span></i></b></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: "Times New Roman","serif"; font-size: 12pt; line-height: 115%;"><b><i><span style="color: #351c75;">If you were to count raw numbers of insurance claims
for cats and dogs, "ear infections would be very high on the list,"
as would diarrhea, gastrointestinal issues and skin allergies, Bennett says.</span></i></b></span></div>
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<b><i><span style="color: #351c75;"><span style="font-family: "Times New Roman","serif"; font-size: 12pt; line-height: 115%;">VPI found that the most claims for dogs in 2010 were
ear infections, followed by skin allergies, skin infections, gastritis and
diarrhea. For cats, the top illnesses were lower urinary tract disease,
gastritis, chronic renal failure, hyperthyroidism and diabetes. </span><span style="font-family: "Times New Roman","serif"; font-size: 12pt; line-height: 115%;">Among exotic pets, the most frequent ailments were
bowel obstructions, followed by gastritis, bladder infections, upper
respiratory infections and eye infections.</span></span></i></b></div>
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<span style="font-family: "Times New Roman","serif"; line-height: 115%;"><span style="color: #351c75; font-size: large;"><u><b><i>Medical advances drive the demand for pet insurance</i></b></u></span></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: "Times New Roman","serif"; font-size: 12pt; line-height: 115%;"><b><i><span style="color: #351c75;">You might expect that recent advances in the
treatment of animal illnesses would reduce medical costs, but the opposite is
true. Pet insurance is becoming increasingly important for pet owners, says
Bennett. As treatments once available only to humans are extended to pets,
costs are rising.</span></i></b></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: "Times New Roman","serif"; font-size: 12pt; line-height: 115%;"><b><i><span style="color: #351c75;">Kristen Lynch, spokesperson for the North American
Pet Health Insurance Association, agrees.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;">
</span>"Pets are living longer, healthier lives," she says.
"They can do almost anything for a pet [that doctors] can do for a human.
They can treat them for cancer. They can replace their hips and knees. Things
that would have caused a pet to pass away at one time can be treated."</span></i></b></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: "Times New Roman","serif"; font-size: 12pt; line-height: 115%;"><b><i><span style="color: #351c75;">Medical doctors and animal care professionals are
sharing knowledge, says McConnell. "Our medicine is much more
sophisticated than it was even 10 years ago."</span></i></b></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: "Times New Roman","serif"; font-size: 12pt; line-height: 115%;"><b><i><span style="color: #351c75;">Before deciding that a pet insurance quote is too
high, consider what your costs could be without pet insurance. Despite the
financial risks that go along with having uninsured pets, "We estimate
that less than 1 percent of pet owners [in the U.S] have their pets
protected." says Curtis Steinhoff, a spokesperson for VPI.</span></i></b></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: "Times New Roman","serif"; line-height: 115%;"><span style="color: #351c75; font-size: large;"><u><b><i>The human factor</i></b></u></span></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: "Times New Roman","serif"; font-size: 12pt; line-height: 115%;"></span><span style="font-family: "Times New Roman","serif"; font-size: 12pt; line-height: 115%;"><b><i><span style="color: #351c75;">Although insurance actuaries are skilled at
predicting veterinary costs, one thing they can't work into their calculations
is the human factor, says Bennett.</span></i></b></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: "Times New Roman","serif"; font-size: 12pt; line-height: 115%;"><b><i><span style="color: #351c75;">For example, one of the most important things you
can do to prevent pet injury is to secure your pets with harnesses when you
drive with them in your car, she explains. How well you care for your pet plays
a big role in its health.</span></i></b></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: "Times New Roman","serif"; font-size: 12pt; line-height: 115%;"><b><i><span style="color: #351c75;">"The ideal pet parent is someone who pays
attention, feeds the pet well, keeps an eye on the pet's weight . . . and knows
their pet well," she says.</span></i></b></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: "Times New Roman","serif"; line-height: 115%;"><span style="color: #351c75; font-size: large;"><u><b><i>Top 10 pet medical conditions</i></b></u></span></span><br />
<br /></div>
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<span style="font-family: "Times New Roman","serif"; line-height: 115%;"><span style="color: #351c75; font-size: large;"><u><b><i>Dogs</i></b></u></span></span></div>
<div class="MsoListParagraphCxSpFirst" style="margin: 0in 0in 0pt 0.5in; mso-list: l0 level1 lfo1; text-indent: -0.25in;">
<b><i><span style="color: #351c75;"><span style="font-family: "Times New Roman","serif"; font-size: 12pt; line-height: 115%; mso-fareast-font-family: "Times New Roman";"><span style="mso-list: Ignore;">1.<span style="font-size-adjust: none; font-stretch: normal; font: 7pt/normal "Times New Roman";"> </span></span></span><span style="font-family: "Times New Roman","serif"; font-size: 12pt; line-height: 115%;">Ear
Infection</span></span></i></b><br />
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</div>
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<span style="font-family: "Times New Roman","serif"; font-size: 12pt; line-height: 115%;"></span><b><i><span style="color: #351c75;"><span style="font-family: "Times New Roman","serif"; font-size: 12pt; line-height: 115%; mso-fareast-font-family: "Times New Roman";"><span style="mso-list: Ignore;">2.<span style="font-size-adjust: none; font-stretch: normal; font: 7pt/normal "Times New Roman";"> </span></span></span><span style="font-family: "Times New Roman","serif"; font-size: 12pt; line-height: 115%;">Skin
Allergy</span></span></i></b><br />
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<div class="MsoListParagraphCxSpFirst" style="margin: 0in 0in 0pt 0.5in; mso-list: l0 level1 lfo1; text-indent: -0.25in;">
</div>
<div class="MsoListParagraphCxSpMiddle" style="margin: 0in 0in 0pt 0.5in; mso-list: l0 level1 lfo1; text-indent: -0.25in;">
<b><i><span style="color: #351c75;"><span style="font-family: "Times New Roman","serif"; font-size: 12pt; line-height: 115%; mso-fareast-font-family: "Times New Roman";"><span style="mso-list: Ignore;">3.<span style="font-size-adjust: none; font-stretch: normal; font: 7pt/normal "Times New Roman";"> </span></span></span><span style="font-family: "Times New Roman","serif"; font-size: 12pt; line-height: 115%;">Skin
Infection/Hot Spots</span></span></i></b><br />
</div>
<div class="MsoListParagraphCxSpMiddle" style="margin: 0in 0in 0pt 0.5in; mso-list: l0 level1 lfo1; text-indent: -0.25in;">
</div>
<div class="MsoListParagraphCxSpMiddle" style="margin: 0in 0in 0pt 0.5in; mso-list: l0 level1 lfo1; text-indent: -0.25in;">
<b><i><span style="color: #351c75;"><span style="font-family: "Times New Roman","serif"; font-size: 12pt; line-height: 115%; mso-fareast-font-family: "Times New Roman";"><span style="mso-list: Ignore;">4.<span style="font-size-adjust: none; font-stretch: normal; font: 7pt/normal "Times New Roman";"> </span></span></span><span style="font-family: "Times New Roman","serif"; font-size: 12pt; line-height: 115%;">Gastritis/Vomiting</span></span></i></b><br />
</div>
<div class="MsoListParagraphCxSpMiddle" style="margin: 0in 0in 0pt 0.5in; mso-list: l0 level1 lfo1; text-indent: -0.25in;">
</div>
<div class="MsoListParagraphCxSpMiddle" style="margin: 0in 0in 0pt 0.5in; mso-list: l0 level1 lfo1; text-indent: -0.25in;">
<b><i><span style="color: #351c75;"><span style="font-family: "Times New Roman","serif"; font-size: 12pt; line-height: 115%; mso-fareast-font-family: "Times New Roman";"><span style="mso-list: Ignore;">5.<span style="font-size-adjust: none; font-stretch: normal; font: 7pt/normal "Times New Roman";"> </span></span></span><span style="font-family: "Times New Roman","serif"; font-size: 12pt; line-height: 115%;">Enteritis/Diarrhea</span></span></i></b><br />
</div>
<div class="MsoListParagraphCxSpMiddle" style="margin: 0in 0in 0pt 0.5in; mso-list: l0 level1 lfo1; text-indent: -0.25in;">
</div>
<div class="MsoListParagraphCxSpMiddle" style="margin: 0in 0in 0pt 0.5in; mso-list: l0 level1 lfo1; text-indent: -0.25in;">
<b><i><span style="color: #351c75;"><span style="font-family: "Times New Roman","serif"; font-size: 12pt; line-height: 115%; mso-fareast-font-family: "Times New Roman";"><span style="mso-list: Ignore;">6.<span style="font-size-adjust: none; font-stretch: normal; font: 7pt/normal "Times New Roman";"> </span></span></span><span style="font-family: "Times New Roman","serif"; font-size: 12pt; line-height: 115%;">Arthritis</span></span></i></b><br />
</div>
<div class="MsoListParagraphCxSpMiddle" style="margin: 0in 0in 0pt 0.5in; mso-list: l0 level1 lfo1; text-indent: -0.25in;">
</div>
<div class="MsoListParagraphCxSpMiddle" style="margin: 0in 0in 0pt 0.5in; mso-list: l0 level1 lfo1; text-indent: -0.25in;">
<b><i><span style="color: #351c75;"><span style="font-family: "Times New Roman","serif"; font-size: 12pt; line-height: 115%; mso-fareast-font-family: "Times New Roman";"><span style="mso-list: Ignore;">7.<span style="font-size-adjust: none; font-stretch: normal; font: 7pt/normal "Times New Roman";"> </span></span></span><span style="font-family: "Times New Roman","serif"; font-size: 12pt; line-height: 115%;">Bladder
Infection</span></span></i></b><br />
</div>
<div class="MsoListParagraphCxSpMiddle" style="margin: 0in 0in 0pt 0.5in; mso-list: l0 level1 lfo1; text-indent: -0.25in;">
</div>
<div class="MsoListParagraphCxSpMiddle" style="margin: 0in 0in 0pt 0.5in; mso-list: l0 level1 lfo1; text-indent: -0.25in;">
<b><i><span style="color: #351c75;"><span style="font-family: "Times New Roman","serif"; font-size: 12pt; line-height: 115%; mso-fareast-font-family: "Times New Roman";"><span style="mso-list: Ignore;">8.<span style="font-size-adjust: none; font-stretch: normal; font: 7pt/normal "Times New Roman";"> </span></span></span><span style="font-family: "Times New Roman","serif"; font-size: 12pt; line-height: 115%;">Soft
Tissue Trauma</span></span></i></b><br />
</div>
<div class="MsoListParagraphCxSpMiddle" style="margin: 0in 0in 0pt 0.5in; mso-list: l0 level1 lfo1; text-indent: -0.25in;">
</div>
<div class="MsoListParagraphCxSpMiddle" style="margin: 0in 0in 0pt 0.5in; mso-list: l0 level1 lfo1; text-indent: -0.25in;">
<b><i><span style="color: #351c75;"><span style="font-family: "Times New Roman","serif"; font-size: 12pt; line-height: 115%; mso-fareast-font-family: "Times New Roman";"><span style="mso-list: Ignore;">9.<span style="font-size-adjust: none; font-stretch: normal; font: 7pt/normal "Times New Roman";"> </span></span></span><span style="font-family: "Times New Roman","serif"; font-size: 12pt; line-height: 115%;">Non-cancerous
Tumor</span></span></i></b><br />
</div>
<div class="MsoListParagraphCxSpMiddle" style="margin: 0in 0in 0pt 0.5in; mso-list: l0 level1 lfo1; text-indent: -0.25in;">
</div>
<div class="MsoListParagraphCxSpLast" style="margin: 0in 0in 10pt 0.5in; mso-list: l0 level1 lfo1; text-indent: -0.25in;">
<b><i><span style="color: #351c75;"><span style="font-family: "Times New Roman","serif"; font-size: 12pt; line-height: 115%; mso-fareast-font-family: "Times New Roman";"><span style="mso-list: Ignore;">10.<span style="font-size-adjust: none; font-stretch: normal; font: 7pt/normal "Times New Roman";"> </span></span></span><span style="font-family: "Times New Roman","serif"; font-size: 12pt; line-height: 115%;">Hypothyroidism</span></span></i></b></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin: 0in 0in 10pt;">
<span style="font-family: "Times New Roman","serif"; line-height: 115%;"><span style="color: #351c75; font-size: large;"><u><b><i>Cats</i></b></u></span></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin: 0in 0in 10pt;">
<span style="font-family: "Times New Roman","serif"; font-size: 12pt; line-height: 115%;"><b><i><span style="color: #351c75;"><span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>1.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>Lower Urinary Tract Disease</span></i></b></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin: 0in 0in 10pt;">
<span style="font-family: "Times New Roman","serif"; font-size: 12pt; line-height: 115%;"></span><b><i><span style="color: #351c75;"><span style="font-family: "Times New Roman","serif"; font-size: 12pt; line-height: 115%; mso-fareast-font-family: "Times New Roman";"><span style="mso-list: Ignore;"> 2.<span style="font-size-adjust: none; font-stretch: normal; font: 7pt/normal "Times New Roman";">
</span></span></span><span style="font-family: "Times New Roman","serif"; font-size: 12pt; line-height: 115%;">Gastritis/Vomiting</span></span></i></b></div>
<div class="MsoListParagraphCxSpMiddle" style="margin: 0in 0in 0pt 24pt; mso-add-space: auto; mso-list: l2 level1 lfo2; text-indent: -21pt;">
<b><i><span style="color: #351c75;"><span style="font-family: "Times New Roman","serif"; font-size: 12pt; line-height: 115%; mso-fareast-font-family: "Times New Roman";"><span style="mso-list: Ignore;"> 3.<span style="font-size-adjust: none; font-stretch: normal; font: 7pt/normal "Times New Roman";">
</span></span></span><span style="font-family: "Times New Roman","serif"; font-size: 12pt; line-height: 115%;">Chronic Renal Failure<o:p></o:p></span></span></i></b></div>
<b><i><span style="color: #351c75;">
</span></i></b><br />
<div class="MsoListParagraphCxSpMiddle" style="margin: 0in 0in 0pt 24pt; mso-add-space: auto; mso-list: l2 level1 lfo2; text-indent: -21pt;">
<b><i><span style="color: #351c75;"><span style="font-family: "Times New Roman","serif"; font-size: 12pt; line-height: 115%; mso-fareast-font-family: "Times New Roman";"><span style="mso-list: Ignore;"> 4.<span style="font-size-adjust: none; font-stretch: normal; font: 7pt/normal "Times New Roman";">
</span></span></span><span style="font-family: "Times New Roman","serif"; font-size: 12pt; line-height: 115%;">Hyperthyroidism<o:p></o:p></span></span></i></b></div>
<b><i><span style="color: #351c75;">
</span></i></b><br />
<div class="MsoListParagraphCxSpMiddle" style="margin: 0in 0in 0pt 24pt; mso-add-space: auto; mso-list: l2 level1 lfo2; text-indent: -21pt;">
<b><i><span style="color: #351c75;"><span style="font-family: "Times New Roman","serif"; font-size: 12pt; line-height: 115%; mso-fareast-font-family: "Times New Roman";"><span style="mso-list: Ignore;"> 5.<span style="font-size-adjust: none; font-stretch: normal; font: 7pt/normal "Times New Roman";">
</span></span></span><span style="font-family: "Times New Roman","serif"; font-size: 12pt; line-height: 115%;">Diabetes<o:p></o:p></span></span></i></b></div>
<b><i><span style="color: #351c75;">
</span></i></b><br />
<div class="MsoListParagraphCxSpMiddle" style="margin: 0in 0in 0pt 24pt; mso-add-space: auto; mso-list: l2 level1 lfo2; text-indent: -21pt;">
<b><i><span style="color: #351c75;"><span style="font-family: "Times New Roman","serif"; font-size: 12pt; line-height: 115%; mso-fareast-font-family: "Times New Roman";"><span style="mso-list: Ignore;"> 6.<span style="font-size-adjust: none; font-stretch: normal; font: 7pt/normal "Times New Roman";">
</span></span></span><span style="font-family: "Times New Roman","serif"; font-size: 12pt; line-height: 115%;">Enteritis/Diarrhea<o:p></o:p></span></span></i></b></div>
<b><i><span style="color: #351c75;">
</span></i></b><br />
<div class="MsoListParagraphCxSpMiddle" style="margin: 0in 0in 0pt 24pt; mso-add-space: auto; mso-list: l2 level1 lfo2; text-indent: -21pt;">
<b><i><span style="color: #351c75;"><span style="font-family: "Times New Roman","serif"; font-size: 12pt; line-height: 115%; mso-fareast-font-family: "Times New Roman";"><span style="mso-list: Ignore;"> 7.<span style="font-size-adjust: none; font-stretch: normal; font: 7pt/normal "Times New Roman";">
</span></span></span><span style="font-family: "Times New Roman","serif"; font-size: 12pt; line-height: 115%;">Skin Allergy<o:p></o:p></span></span></i></b></div>
<b><i><span style="color: #351c75;">
</span></i></b><br />
<div class="MsoListParagraphCxSpMiddle" style="margin: 0in 0in 0pt 24pt; mso-add-space: auto; mso-list: l2 level1 lfo2; text-indent: -21pt;">
<b><i><span style="color: #351c75;"><span style="font-family: "Times New Roman","serif"; font-size: 12pt; line-height: 115%; mso-fareast-font-family: "Times New Roman";"><span style="mso-list: Ignore;"> 8.<span style="font-size-adjust: none; font-stretch: normal; font: 7pt/normal "Times New Roman";">
</span></span></span><span style="font-family: "Times New Roman","serif"; font-size: 12pt; line-height: 115%;">Periodontitis/Dental Disease<o:p></o:p></span></span></i></b></div>
<b><i><span style="color: #351c75;">
</span></i></b><br />
<div class="MsoListParagraphCxSpMiddle" style="margin: 0in 0in 0pt 24pt; mso-add-space: auto; mso-list: l2 level1 lfo2; text-indent: -21pt;">
<b><i><span style="color: #351c75;"><span style="font-family: "Times New Roman","serif"; font-size: 12pt; line-height: 115%; mso-fareast-font-family: "Times New Roman";"><span style="mso-list: Ignore;"> 9.<span style="font-size-adjust: none; font-stretch: normal; font: 7pt/normal "Times New Roman";">
</span></span></span><span style="font-family: "Times New Roman","serif"; font-size: 12pt; line-height: 115%;">Ear Infection<o:p></o:p></span></span></i></b></div>
<b><i><span style="color: #351c75;">
</span></i></b><br />
<div class="MsoListParagraphCxSpLast" style="margin: 0in 0in 10pt 24pt; mso-add-space: auto; mso-list: l2 level1 lfo2; text-indent: -21pt;">
<b><i><span style="color: #351c75;"><span style="font-family: "Times New Roman","serif"; font-size: 12pt; line-height: 115%; mso-fareast-font-family: "Times New Roman";"><span style="mso-list: Ignore;"> 10.<span style="font-size-adjust: none; font-stretch: normal; font: 7pt/normal "Times New Roman";"> </span></span></span><span style="font-family: "Times New Roman","serif"; font-size: 12pt; line-height: 115%;">Upper
Respiratory Infection</span><span style="font-family: "Times New Roman","serif"; font-size: 12pt; line-height: 115%;"><o:p> </o:p></span></span></i></b></div>
<b><i><span style="color: #351c75;">
</span></i></b><br />
<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin: 0in 0in 10pt 3pt;">
<span style="font-family: "Times New Roman","serif"; line-height: 115%;"><span style="color: #351c75; font-size: large;"><u><b><i>Exotics</i></b></u></span></span></div>
<div class="MsoListParagraphCxSpFirst" style="margin: 0in 0in 0pt 0.5in; mso-list: l1 level1 lfo3; text-indent: -0.25in;">
<b><i><span style="color: #351c75;"><span style="font-family: "Times New Roman","serif"; font-size: 12pt; line-height: 115%; mso-fareast-font-family: "Times New Roman";"><span style="mso-list: Ignore;">1.<span style="font-size-adjust: none; font-stretch: normal; font: 7pt/normal "Times New Roman";"> </span></span></span><span style="font-family: "Times New Roman","serif"; font-size: 12pt; line-height: 115%;">Bowel
Obstruction <o:p></o:p></span></span></i></b></div>
<b><i><span style="color: #351c75;">
</span></i></b><br />
<div class="MsoListParagraphCxSpMiddle" style="margin: 0in 0in 0pt 0.5in; mso-list: l1 level1 lfo3; text-indent: -0.25in;">
<b><i><span style="color: #351c75;"><span style="font-family: "Times New Roman","serif"; font-size: 12pt; line-height: 115%; mso-fareast-font-family: "Times New Roman";"><span style="mso-list: Ignore;">2.<span style="font-size-adjust: none; font-stretch: normal; font: 7pt/normal "Times New Roman";"> </span></span></span><span style="font-family: "Times New Roman","serif"; font-size: 12pt; line-height: 115%;">Gastritis/Vomiting<o:p></o:p></span></span></i></b></div>
<b><i><span style="color: #351c75;">
</span></i></b><br />
<div class="MsoListParagraphCxSpMiddle" style="margin: 0in 0in 0pt 0.5in; mso-list: l1 level1 lfo3; text-indent: -0.25in;">
<b><i><span style="color: #351c75;"><span style="font-family: "Times New Roman","serif"; font-size: 12pt; line-height: 115%; mso-fareast-font-family: "Times New Roman";"><span style="mso-list: Ignore;">3.<span style="font-size-adjust: none; font-stretch: normal; font: 7pt/normal "Times New Roman";"> </span></span></span><span style="font-family: "Times New Roman","serif"; font-size: 12pt; line-height: 115%;">Bladder
Infection<o:p></o:p></span></span></i></b></div>
<b><i><span style="color: #351c75;">
</span></i></b><br />
<div class="MsoListParagraphCxSpMiddle" style="margin: 0in 0in 0pt 0.5in; mso-list: l1 level1 lfo3; text-indent: -0.25in;">
<b><i><span style="color: #351c75;"><span style="font-family: "Times New Roman","serif"; font-size: 12pt; line-height: 115%; mso-fareast-font-family: "Times New Roman";"><span style="mso-list: Ignore;">4.<span style="font-size-adjust: none; font-stretch: normal; font: 7pt/normal "Times New Roman";"> </span></span></span><span style="font-family: "Times New Roman","serif"; font-size: 12pt; line-height: 115%;">Upper
Respiratory Infection<o:p></o:p></span></span></i></b></div>
<b><i><span style="color: #351c75;">
</span></i></b><br />
<div class="MsoListParagraphCxSpMiddle" style="margin: 0in 0in 0pt 0.5in; mso-list: l1 level1 lfo3; text-indent: -0.25in;">
<b><i><span style="color: #351c75;"><span style="font-family: "Times New Roman","serif"; font-size: 12pt; line-height: 115%; mso-fareast-font-family: "Times New Roman";"><span style="mso-list: Ignore;">5.<span style="font-size-adjust: none; font-stretch: normal; font: 7pt/normal "Times New Roman";"> </span></span></span><span style="font-family: "Times New Roman","serif"; font-size: 12pt; line-height: 115%;">Eye
Infection<o:p></o:p></span></span></i></b></div>
<b><i><span style="color: #351c75;">
</span></i></b><br />
<div class="MsoListParagraphCxSpMiddle" style="margin: 0in 0in 0pt 0.5in; mso-list: l1 level1 lfo3; text-indent: -0.25in;">
<b><i><span style="color: #351c75;"><span style="font-family: "Times New Roman","serif"; font-size: 12pt; line-height: 115%; mso-fareast-font-family: "Times New Roman";"><span style="mso-list: Ignore;">6.<span style="font-size-adjust: none; font-stretch: normal; font: 7pt/normal "Times New Roman";"> </span></span></span><span style="font-family: "Times New Roman","serif"; font-size: 12pt; line-height: 115%;">Cancerous
Tumor Requiring Surgery<o:p></o:p></span></span></i></b></div>
<b><i><span style="color: #351c75;">
</span></i></b><br />
<div class="MsoListParagraphCxSpMiddle" style="margin: 0in 0in 0pt 0.5in; mso-list: l1 level1 lfo3; text-indent: -0.25in;">
<b><i><span style="color: #351c75;"><span style="font-family: "Times New Roman","serif"; font-size: 12pt; line-height: 115%; mso-fareast-font-family: "Times New Roman";"><span style="mso-list: Ignore;">7.<span style="font-size-adjust: none; font-stretch: normal; font: 7pt/normal "Times New Roman";"> </span></span></span><span style="font-family: "Times New Roman","serif"; font-size: 12pt; line-height: 115%;">Arthritis<o:p></o:p></span></span></i></b></div>
<b><i><span style="color: #351c75;">
</span></i></b><br />
<div class="MsoListParagraphCxSpMiddle" style="margin: 0in 0in 0pt 0.5in; mso-list: l1 level1 lfo3; text-indent: -0.25in;">
<b><i><span style="color: #351c75;"><span style="font-family: "Times New Roman","serif"; font-size: 12pt; line-height: 115%; mso-fareast-font-family: "Times New Roman";"><span style="mso-list: Ignore;">8.<span style="font-size-adjust: none; font-stretch: normal; font: 7pt/normal "Times New Roman";"> </span></span></span><span style="font-family: "Times New Roman","serif"; font-size: 12pt; line-height: 115%;">Skin
Inflammation<o:p></o:p></span></span></i></b></div>
<b><i><span style="color: #351c75;">
</span></i></b><br />
<div class="MsoListParagraphCxSpMiddle" style="margin: 0in 0in 0pt 0.5in; mso-list: l1 level1 lfo3; text-indent: -0.25in;">
<b><i><span style="color: #351c75;"><span style="font-family: "Times New Roman","serif"; font-size: 12pt; line-height: 115%; mso-fareast-font-family: "Times New Roman";"><span style="mso-list: Ignore;">9.<span style="font-size-adjust: none; font-stretch: normal; font: 7pt/normal "Times New Roman";"> </span></span></span><span style="font-family: "Times New Roman","serif"; font-size: 12pt; line-height: 115%;">Skin
Abscess or Pressure Ulcer<o:p></o:p></span></span></i></b></div>
<b><i><span style="color: #351c75;">
</span></i></b><br />
<div class="MsoListParagraphCxSpLast" style="margin: 0in 0in 10pt 0.5in; mso-list: l1 level1 lfo3; text-indent: -0.25in;">
<b><i><span style="color: #351c75;"><span style="font-family: "Times New Roman","serif"; font-size: 12pt; line-height: 115%; mso-fareast-font-family: "Times New Roman";"><span style="mso-list: Ignore;">10.<span style="font-size-adjust: none; font-stretch: normal; font: 7pt/normal "Times New Roman";"> </span></span></span><span style="font-family: "Times New Roman","serif"; font-size: 12pt; line-height: 115%;">Inflammation
of Hair Follicles</span></span></i></b></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin: 0in 0in 10pt;">
<span style="font-family: "Times New Roman","serif"; font-size: 12pt; line-height: 115%;">Source: Veterinary Pet Insurance Co., 2010 data </span><span style="font-family: "Times New Roman","serif"; font-size: 12pt; line-height: 115%;"><span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span><o:p></o:p></span></div>
Adapted from: <span style="font-family: "Calibri","sans-serif"; font-size: 11pt; line-height: 115%; mso-ansi-language: EN-US; mso-ascii-theme-font: minor-latin; mso-bidi-font-family: "Times New Roman"; mso-bidi-language: AR-SA; mso-bidi-theme-font: minor-bidi; mso-fareast-font-family: Calibri; mso-fareast-language: EN-US; mso-fareast-theme-font: minor-latin; mso-hansi-theme-font: minor-latin;"><a href="http://www.insure.com/articles/petinsurance/pet-illnesses-can-be-predicted.html?WT.qs_osrc=fxb-33668110"><span style="font-family: "Times New Roman","serif"; font-size: 12pt; line-height: 115%;"><span style="color: blue;">http://www.insure.com/articles/petinsurance/pet-illnesses-can-be-predicted.html?WT.qs_osrc=fxb-33668110</span></span></a></span><br />
<span style="font-family: "Calibri","sans-serif"; font-size: 11pt; line-height: 115%; mso-ansi-language: EN-US; mso-ascii-theme-font: minor-latin; mso-bidi-font-family: "Times New Roman"; mso-bidi-language: AR-SA; mso-bidi-theme-font: minor-bidi; mso-fareast-font-family: Calibri; mso-fareast-language: EN-US; mso-fareast-theme-font: minor-latin; mso-hansi-theme-font: minor-latin;"></span><br />
<span style="font-family: "Calibri","sans-serif"; font-size: 11pt; line-height: 115%; mso-ansi-language: EN-US; mso-ascii-theme-font: minor-latin; mso-bidi-font-family: "Times New Roman"; mso-bidi-language: AR-SA; mso-bidi-theme-font: minor-bidi; mso-fareast-font-family: Calibri; mso-fareast-language: EN-US; mso-fareast-theme-font: minor-latin; mso-hansi-theme-font: minor-latin;"><span style="font-family: Times New Roman; font-size: small;">
</span></span><br />
<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin: 0in 0in 0pt;">
<i><span style="color: black;"><span style="font-size: small;"><span style="font-family: Times New Roman;">~~The goal of this blog is to
provide general information and advice to help you be a better pet owner and to
have a more rewarding relationship with your pet. This blog does not intend to
replace the professional one-on-one care your pet receives from a practicing
veterinarian. When in doubt about your pet's health, always visit a
veterinarian.~~<o:p></o:p></span></span></span></i></div>
<span style="font-family: Times New Roman; font-size: small;">
</span>Helpful Buckeyehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/18134633849820948837noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-16663019142577616.post-26351777700771402662013-01-20T23:00:00.000-07:002013-01-20T23:00:00.787-07:00HOW MUCH DO YOU KNOW ABOUT DOGS AND CATS? PT. 2<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjAeBfJ4T5zCLq7ZfJYbekdPUCrXNX-wuXawpi3TW4JF6AWbvVHewflX2G9Z2MhfcwdhXUd6lF3Hi1Ve-O-sdETbTuffqh2t8qi2c_uUJbcXvmZ4zcUB_MAS5rSXEyIVICNUqmLH7LfnkU/s1600/Question+mark.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjAeBfJ4T5zCLq7ZfJYbekdPUCrXNX-wuXawpi3TW4JF6AWbvVHewflX2G9Z2MhfcwdhXUd6lF3Hi1Ve-O-sdETbTuffqh2t8qi2c_uUJbcXvmZ4zcUB_MAS5rSXEyIVICNUqmLH7LfnkU/s1600/Question+mark.jpg" /></a></div>
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<span style="font-family: Times, "Times New Roman", serif;">Before we get back to the second part of our current topic, <b><i>How much do you know about dogs and cats?</i></b>, Helpful Buckeye would like to address a question on a recent topic that was sent in by Sandra P. from Seattle. Sandra asked whether currently available air purifiers are capable of removing second-hand cigarette smoke from the air. That's an interesting question, Sandra...and I received 4 more like it after reading yours. Here's the answer, from the Mayo Clinic:</span><br />
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<span style="font-family: "Times New Roman","serif"; line-height: 115%;"><b><i><span style="color: #990000; font-size: x-large;">Will an air purifier eliminate cigarette smoke?</span></i></b></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: "Times New Roman","serif"; line-height: 115%;"><b><i><span style="color: #990000; font-size: x-large;"><span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>I'm thinking about buying an air purifier. Do</span></i></b></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: "Times New Roman","serif"; line-height: 115%;"><b><i><span style="color: #990000; font-size: x-large;">
any of them work on cigarette smoke?</span></i></b></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: "Times New Roman","serif"; font-size: 12pt; line-height: 115%;"><b><i><span style="color: #990000;">The answer from: <span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>Richard D. Hurt, M.D. is this… </span></i></b></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: "Times New Roman","serif"; font-size: 12pt; line-height: 115%;"><b><i><span style="color: #990000;">If you're considering buying an air purifier, you
have a multitude of choices. But if you want an air purifier that will
eliminate cigarette smoke, you're out of luck. Most air purifiers, also called
air cleaners, are not designed to remove gaseous pollutants, which are a major
component of cigarette smoke.</span></i></b></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: "Times New Roman","serif"; font-size: 12pt; line-height: 115%;"><b><i><span style="color: #990000;">Mechanical air filters, such as high-efficiency
particulate air (HEPA) filters, and electronic air cleaners, such as ionizers,
target particles, but tobacco smoke particles are designed to be small enough
to be inhaled into the outer reaches of the lungs and, thus, are not trapped by
such devices.</span></i></b></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: "Times New Roman","serif"; font-size: 12pt; line-height: 115%;"><b><i><span style="color: #990000;">Other air cleaners generate ozone, which is actually
a lung irritant. At levels that don't exceed public health standards, ozone has
little ability to remove air contaminants such as cigarette smoke. </span></i></b></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: "Times New Roman","serif"; font-size: 12pt; line-height: 115%;"><b><i><span style="color: #990000;">The best way to protect nonsmokers from secondhand
smoke is to not allow smoking in your home. If you smoke, this is another good
reason to stop.</span></i></b></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: "Times New Roman","serif"; font-size: 12pt; line-height: 115%;">Adapted from: <a href="http://www.mayoclinic.com/health/air-purifier-smoke/AN02073/?utm_source=newsletter&utm_medium=email&utm_campaign=housecall&pubDate=01/16/2013"><span style="color: blue;">http://www.mayoclinic.com/health/air-purifier-smoke/AN02073/?utm_source=newsletter&utm_medium=email&utm_campaign=housecall&pubDate=01/16/2013</span></a>
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<span style="font-family: "Times New Roman","serif"; font-size: 12pt; line-height: 115%;">At the end of last week's issue of <b><span style="color: #990000;">Questions On Dogs and Cats</span></b>, you were able to take a couple of quizzes about dogs and cats. Did you do OK on them? I'll bet that most of you thought people had their dogs sleep with them under the covers to keep warm, huh? OK, on with Part 2 of <b><i>How much do you know about dogs and cats?</i></b></span><br />
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<span style="font-family: "Times New Roman","serif"; line-height: 115%;"><b><i><span style="color: #741b47; font-size: x-large;">Not curiosity, rather innocuous stuff, nearly kills</span></i></b></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: "Times New Roman","serif"; line-height: 115%;"><b><i><span style="color: #741b47; font-size: x-large;">
our cat</span></i></b></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: "Times New Roman","serif"; font-size: 12pt; line-height: 115%;"><b><i><span style="color: #741b47;">Romantics are smitten with the notion that curiosity
is what kills cats. Having grown up on a farm, I would compile a feline
mortality list that ranks curiosity far behind a lackadaisical attitude about
hay-balers, tractor tires, horse troughs, great horned owls, fan belts, augers,
hungry pigs, dogs, shoddy electrical wiring, rat poison, angry tom cats, Bush
Hog mowers and anything that threshes.</span></i></b></span><br />
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<span style="font-family: "Times New Roman","serif"; font-size: 12pt; line-height: 115%;"><b><i><span style="color: #741b47;">As the recent owner of a kitten named Maggie, I need
to update my list of potential cat-killers for the suburbs. Shattering my
belief that an indoor cat was a safe cat, Maggie used up one of her nine lives.</span></i></b></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: "Times New Roman","serif"; font-size: 12pt; line-height: 115%;"><b><i><span style="color: #741b47;">Our sixth-grader, Will, heard the familiar Flintstone-esque
cartoonish sound of Maggie's feet rapidly running in place on a hardwood floor.
When that was followed by the sound of choking, Will's curiosity saved the cat.</span></i></b></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: "Times New Roman","serif"; font-size: 12pt; line-height: 115%;"><b><i><span style="color: #741b47;">Maggie had managed to wind a laptop cord around her
neck and start down the stairs. Freaked when the cord, which was plugged in,
started to restrain her, she leaped through the banister railings. Will found
Maggie stuck in mid-jump, her hind legs on the stairs and the cord growing
tighter around her neck. Figuring that "9-1-1 probably wouldn't come for a
cat," and thinking he had to act fast, Will climbed atop an ottoman,
lifted Maggie's head and lessened the tension to the point where he could
unwind the cord from her neck. Will and Maggie seemed a bit shook by the
incident, but both recovered fully.</span></i></b></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: "Times New Roman","serif"; font-size: 12pt; line-height: 115%;"><b><i><span style="color: #741b47;">I never dreamed a laptop cord and a staircase could
form a life-threatening combination to our cat, but the experts aren't
surprised that something so innocuous can be so dangerous.</span></i></b></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: "Times New Roman","serif"; font-size: 12pt; line-height: 115%;"><b><i><span style="color: #741b47;">Even the iconic image of a cat playing with a ball
of yarn can be a tragedy in the making if the cat starts chewing, says Michael
San Filippo, a spokesman for the American Veterinary Medical Association, which
has its headquarters in Schaumburg.</span></i></b></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: "Times New Roman","serif"; font-size: 12pt; line-height: 115%;"><b><i><span style="color: #741b47;">"If it (the yarn) gets into their system, it
can cause injury to their intestines and could be fatal," San Filippo
says.</span></i></b></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: "Times New Roman","serif"; font-size: 12pt; line-height: 115%;"><b><i><span style="color: #741b47;">Cats, dogs and other pets often fall prey to
medicines (both animal and human) and plants that are left within their reach,
he says. Foods and alcoholic drinks left out after parties can injure pets.
Cords on drapes or blinds, or strings of holiday decorations, can be fatal.
Search the Internet for animal X-rays and you'll find everything from a dog
that ate a stop watch to light bulbs inside a snake.</span></i></b></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: "Times New Roman","serif"; font-size: 12pt; line-height: 115%;"><b><i><span style="color: #741b47;">Even toddlers who drop grapes, raisins or chocolates
from a high chair are threats, as those foods are toxic to pets.</span></i></b></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: "Times New Roman","serif"; font-size: 12pt; line-height: 115%;"><b><i><span style="color: #741b47;">Easter provisions, from chocolate bunnies to the
highly toxic lily plants, can kill cats and dogs, San Filippo warns. Even homes
that have been pet-proofed might still contain dangers such as dryers, washing
machines, ovens, recliners, sewing kits, irons and heavy objects that might
fall from a shelf.</span></i></b></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: "Times New Roman","serif"; font-size: 12pt; line-height: 115%;"><b><i><span style="color: #741b47;">"You can't plan for everything. Accidents can
happen," says San Filippo, who urges people to keep emergency numbers
handy and visit www.avma.org for safety hints.</span></i></b></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: "Times New Roman","serif"; font-size: 12pt; line-height: 115%;"><b><i><span style="color: #741b47;">"Every month, we're getting claims we've never
seen before," says Grant Biniasz, a spokesman for the Veterinary Pet
Insurance Co., which sponsors a monthly contest for the most unusual insurance
claim as a way "to raise awareness of the accidental injuries."</span></i></b></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: "Times New Roman","serif"; font-size: 12pt; line-height: 115%;"><b><i><span style="color: #741b47;">The most recent entry is a cat named Eddy, whose
pursuit of a house fly led him to leap onto a hot wood stove, blistering all
four of his paws.</span></i></b></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: "Times New Roman","serif"; font-size: 12pt; line-height: 115%;"><b><i><span style="color: #741b47;">"Last month we had a cat that got a plastic bag
stuck on its head and ran around the house bumping into things and it tore off
a nail," Biniasz says of the March entries. "We saw a claim for
shamrock toxicity."</span></i></b></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: "Times New Roman","serif"; font-size: 12pt; line-height: 115%;"><b><i><span style="color: #741b47;">Cats often hurt themselves by eating plants, toxic
foods or more unlikely dangers such as hearing aids, dental floss or sewing
needles, Biniasz adds.</span></i></b></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: "Times New Roman","serif"; font-size: 12pt; line-height: 115%;"><b><i><span style="color: #741b47;">"Cats are curious," Biniasz concedes, but
he notes that they also "sometimes make poor judgments."</span></i></b></span><br />
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg40J0WbXhN7sx3i2juxImQNjFF-DZi4-7Xuyfx1zNqv2x59Q6k4UlPyWqE_SUAcdjSqZxgeKXiQWnIBAeqFRTMFMIZ5G_32bnl-OuG_Zkiw8eLmnNI0Celm2Z3ID9DZBj6JUBkE6Hi5xA/s1600/catsmile.bmp" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg40J0WbXhN7sx3i2juxImQNjFF-DZi4-7Xuyfx1zNqv2x59Q6k4UlPyWqE_SUAcdjSqZxgeKXiQWnIBAeqFRTMFMIZ5G_32bnl-OuG_Zkiw8eLmnNI0Celm2Z3ID9DZBj6JUBkE6Hi5xA/s1600/catsmile.bmp" /></a></div>
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<span style="font-family: "Times New Roman","serif"; font-size: 12pt; line-height: 115%;"><b><i><span style="color: #741b47;">Speaking of judgment, I think all the humans in our
household are going to have to be more careful with cords, foods and the other
potential dangers facing Maggie. If the cats of my youth couldn't appreciate
the pending peril of a hay baler or approaching John Deere, Maggie can't be
expected to grasp the potential pitfalls of a laptop cord.<o:p></o:p></span></i></b></span></div>
Adapted from: <span style="font-family: "Times New Roman","serif"; font-size: 12pt; line-height: 115%; mso-ansi-language: EN-US; mso-bidi-language: AR-SA; mso-fareast-font-family: Calibri; mso-fareast-language: EN-US; mso-fareast-theme-font: minor-latin;"><a href="http://www.dailyherald.com/article/20110412/news/704129964/"><span style="color: blue;">http://www.dailyherald.com/article/20110412/news/704129964/</span></a></span><br />
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So much for "curiosity" killing the cat, huh?<br />
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<span style="font-family: "Times New Roman","serif"; font-size: 12pt; line-height: 115%;"><span style="font-size: x-large;"><b><i><span style="color: #38761d;">10 Surprising (and Helpful!) Secrets Excerpted </span></i></b></span></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: "Times New Roman","serif"; font-size: 12pt; line-height: 115%;"><span style="font-size: x-large;"><b><i><span style="color: #38761d;">From
"Your Dog: The Owner's Manual"<o:p></o:p></span></i></b></span></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: "Times New Roman","serif"; font-size: 12pt; line-height: 115%;"><b><i><span style="color: #38761d;">By Dr. Marty Becker</span></i></b></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: "Times New Roman","serif"; font-size: 12pt; line-height: 115%;"><b><i><span style="color: #38761d;"><span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>When I say my
book offers "hundreds of secrets, surprises and solutions for raising a
happy, healthy dog," I'm not kidding. In my work, I balance decades of
real-world experience as a practicing veterinarian with insights gained from
access to the leaders in the veterinary and pet care world. The result: an
insider's view of what's tried and true.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span></span></i></b></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: "Times New Roman","serif"; font-size: 12pt; line-height: 115%;"><b><i><span style="color: #38761d;">Here are 10 of my top insider's secrets from
"Your Dog: The Owner's Manual." Surprises? You bet. Solutions?
Absolutely. </span></i></b></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: "Times New Roman","serif"; font-size: 12pt; line-height: 115%;"><b><i><span style="color: #38761d;">Secret No. 1: Shedding is a top complaint of dog
lovers, but when people choose a low-shed pet, they're usually barking up the
wrong tree. The kind of dog who sheds the least? A small one (less dog, less
fur) with long fur (long fur stays in longer than short fur) who's kept clipped
short (less left on to clean up when it does eventually fall out). </span></i></b></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: "Times New Roman","serif"; font-size: 12pt; line-height: 115%;"><b><i><span style="color: #38761d;">Secret No. 2: Preventing accidents can save more
than your pet — it saves money, too. By keeping all human and pet prescriptions
as well as all over-the-counters safely locked away, you'll protect your pet
from the No. 1 poisoning hazard.</span></i></b></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: "Times New Roman","serif"; font-size: 12pt; line-height: 115%;"><b><i><span style="color: #38761d;">Secret No. 3: Stop the post-bath shake from getting
water all over your bathroom — and you. It's simple: That water-spraying shake
starts at the nose, and if you hold your dog's muzzle until you can get a towel
over him, you'll prevent him from shaking. </span></i></b></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: "Times New Roman","serif"; font-size: 12pt; line-height: 115%;"><b><i><span style="color: #38761d;">Secret No. 4: New training tools like head halters
and front-clip leashes make walking your dog a pleasure. These tools are like
power-steering for your dog. (In the book, I also share how to develop an
exercise program that will improve health for human and animal alike.) </span></i></b></span><br />
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjuSbt9uDKLus1LAGzygxa8J_sN2DAfsU5CmeaYbIXP9fWAgb69pnBMn3RzQF9yOHP1b_2ZqYLPzla5vO7EdRL7QOc8vjl1RSqD1jW9TcHZEnxoaqgVBpUxQUU_vWWuY_J_zfC4ZBbEnXw/s1600/Dog+and+Leash.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjuSbt9uDKLus1LAGzygxa8J_sN2DAfsU5CmeaYbIXP9fWAgb69pnBMn3RzQF9yOHP1b_2ZqYLPzla5vO7EdRL7QOc8vjl1RSqD1jW9TcHZEnxoaqgVBpUxQUU_vWWuY_J_zfC4ZBbEnXw/s320/Dog+and+Leash.jpg" width="240" /></a></div>
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<b><i><span style="color: #38761d;"><span style="font-family: "Times New Roman","serif"; font-size: 12pt; line-height: 115%;">S</span><span style="font-family: "Times New Roman","serif"; font-size: 12pt; line-height: 115%;">ecret No. 5: Getting old doesn't have to be a
miserable time for your dog. Working with your veterinarian to provide an old
dog "neutraceuticals" such as omega-3 oil and glucosamine, along with
prescription pain medications, can put the bounce back in an old dog's step. </span></span></i></b></div>
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<span style="font-family: "Times New Roman","serif"; font-size: 12pt; line-height: 115%;"><b><i><span style="color: #38761d;">Secret No. 6: Learn why every pet owner needs to
keep several over-the-counter remedies on hand, such as hydrogen peroxide (to
induce vomiting), and when your veterinarian may direct you to use them. Never
give your dog any medication unless directed to do so by your veterinarian. </span></i></b></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: "Times New Roman","serif"; font-size: 12pt; line-height: 115%;"><b><i><span style="color: #38761d;">Secret No. 7: Most people want to take advantage of
the incredible advances in veterinary medicine, but some simply can't afford
it. The solution for many is pet health insurance. The surprise? While there
are several credible companies offering pet insurance, fewer than 2 percent of
dog lovers protect their pets this way. </span></i></b></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: "Times New Roman","serif"; font-size: 12pt; line-height: 115%;"><b><i><span style="color: #38761d;">Secret No. 8: Your dog doesn't have to hate going to
the veterinarian. If you work with your veterinarian to keep early experiences
pleasant — such as not having nails trimmed at your vet's place and having your
pet given pats and treats on every visit — your dog will love going to the
hospital. </span></i></b></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: "Times New Roman","serif"; font-size: 12pt; line-height: 115%;"><b><i><span style="color: #38761d;">Secret No. 9: It's easy to save money on care
without short-changing your pet. You can save money by price-shopping for
prescription medications, buying in bulk, keeping your pet thin and even
bartering for your pet's needs. </span></i></b></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: "Times New Roman","serif"; font-size: 12pt; line-height: 115%;"><b><i><span style="color: #38761d;">Secret No. 10: Many veterinarians now recommend
vaccinating dogs every one to three years. There is no longer any "one
size fits all" when it comes to vaccines. Talk to your veterinarian about
the right vaccinations for your dog.<o:p></o:p></span></i></b></span></div>
Adapted from: <span style="font-family: "Times New Roman","serif"; font-size: 12pt; line-height: 115%; mso-ansi-language: EN-US; mso-bidi-language: AR-SA; mso-fareast-font-family: Calibri; mso-fareast-language: EN-US; mso-fareast-theme-font: minor-latin;"><a href="http://www.vetstreet.com/dr-marty-becker/10-surprising-and-helpful-secrets-excerpted-from-your-dog-the-owners-manual"><span style="color: blue;">http://www.vetstreet.com/dr-marty-becker/10-surprising-and-helpful-secrets-excerpted-from-your-dog-the-owners-manual</span></a></span><br />
<span style="font-family: "Times New Roman","serif"; font-size: 12pt; line-height: 115%; mso-ansi-language: EN-US; mso-bidi-language: AR-SA; mso-fareast-font-family: Calibri; mso-fareast-language: EN-US; mso-fareast-theme-font: minor-latin;"></span><br />
<span style="font-family: "Times New Roman","serif"; font-size: 12pt; line-height: 115%; mso-ansi-language: EN-US; mso-bidi-language: AR-SA; mso-fareast-font-family: Calibri; mso-fareast-language: EN-US; mso-fareast-theme-font: minor-latin;">Anything there that helps you?</span><br />
<span style="font-family: "Times New Roman","serif"; font-size: 12pt; line-height: 115%; mso-ansi-language: EN-US; mso-bidi-language: AR-SA; mso-fareast-font-family: Calibri; mso-fareast-language: EN-US; mso-fareast-theme-font: minor-latin;"></span><br />
<div style="text-align: center;">
<span style="font-family: "Times New Roman","serif"; line-height: 115%; mso-ansi-language: EN-US; mso-bidi-language: AR-SA; mso-fareast-font-family: Calibri; mso-fareast-language: EN-US; mso-fareast-theme-font: minor-latin;"><b><span style="color: #0b5394; font-size: x-large;"><i>Worst Thing About Owning a Dog</i></span></b></span></div>
<div style="text-align: center;">
<span style="font-family: "Times New Roman","serif"; font-size: 12pt; line-height: 115%; mso-ansi-language: EN-US; mso-bidi-language: AR-SA; mso-fareast-font-family: Calibri; mso-fareast-language: EN-US; mso-fareast-theme-font: minor-latin;">
</span></div>
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<span style="font-family: "Times New Roman","serif"; font-size: 12pt; line-height: 115%;"><b><i><span style="color: #0b5394;">A few weeks ago we conducted a poll asking dog
lovers - What Is the Worst Thing About Owning a Dog? The response to this poll
was very good with over 3,000 dog lovers responding very quickly with their
comments. We would like to share some of those comments with you today.</span></i></b></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: "Times New Roman","serif"; font-size: 12pt; line-height: 115%;"><b><i><span style="color: #0b5394;">Here are the top 7 things on the "Worst"
list:</span></i></b></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: "Times New Roman","serif"; font-size: 12pt; line-height: 115%;"><b><i><span style="color: #0b5394;">1. Having to board / Get a pet sitter when traveling</span></i></b></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: "Times New Roman","serif"; font-size: 12pt; line-height: 115%;"><b><i><span style="color: #0b5394;">2. Pet hair</span></i></b></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: "Times New Roman","serif"; font-size: 12pt; line-height: 115%;"><b><i><span style="color: #0b5394;">3. Cost of medical care</span></i></b></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: "Times New Roman","serif"; font-size: 12pt; line-height: 115%;"><b><i><span style="color: #0b5394;">4. Inappropriate urination</span></i></b></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: "Times New Roman","serif"; font-size: 12pt; line-height: 115%;"><b><i><span style="color: #0b5394;">5. Barking or whining</span></i></b></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: "Times New Roman","serif"; font-size: 12pt; line-height: 115%;"><b><i><span style="color: #0b5394;">6. Aggression</span></i></b></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: "Times New Roman","serif"; font-size: 12pt; line-height: 115%;"><b><i><span style="color: #0b5394;">7. Pet odors</span></i></b></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: "Times New Roman","serif"; font-size: 12pt; line-height: 115%;">Adapted from: <a href="http://view.ed4.net/v/LJSNBDH/C5AA0/QPTBQNO/AT2ML/FORMAT=H?utm_source=dogcrazynews&utm_medium=email&utm_campaign=ZeroOdor&utm_content=DC-20130106-ZeroOdor-%5bP%5d&email=kfwash@aol.com"><span style="color: blue;">http://view.ed4.net/v/LJSNBDH/C5AA0/QPTBQNO/AT2ML/FORMAT=H?utm_source=dogcrazynews&utm_medium=email&utm_campaign=ZeroOdor&utm_content=DC-20130106-ZeroOdor-[P]&email=kfwash@aol.com</span></a><o:p></o:p></span></div>
I'm sure most dog owners will agree with this list, even though you might also have a few pet peeves about your dog.<br />
<br />
<br />
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<span style="font-family: "Times New Roman","serif"; font-size: 12pt; line-height: 115%;"><b><span style="font-size: x-large;"><i><span style="color: #741b47;">10 New Year Resolutions for Your Dog<o:p></o:p></span></i></span></b></span></div>
<br />
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<span style="font-family: "Times New Roman","serif"; font-size: 12pt; line-height: 115%;"><b><i><span style="color: #741b47;">By: Alex Lieber</span></i></b></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: "Times New Roman","serif"; font-size: 12pt; line-height: 115%;"><b><i><span style="color: #741b47;">The impending arrival of the New Year brings the
inevitable resolutions: Trim your girth, be nicer toward your in-laws, spend
more time with the family. We're all familiar with the promises we make to
improve ourselves in the coming year.</span></i></b></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: "Times New Roman","serif"; font-size: 12pt; line-height: 115%;"><b><i><span style="color: #741b47;">As you make this ironclad list (you mean it this
time – really!), have you wondered what resolutions your pet may be thinking
of? Your dog also vows to improve himself (and he means it this time –
really!). We conducted a survey of the resolutions pets may want to make for
the coming year and found some surprises. Here are the top 10 New Year's
Resolutions from the dog's perspective.</span></i></b></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: "Times New Roman","serif"; font-size: 12pt; line-height: 115%;"><b><i><span style="color: #741b47;">(Just don't say anything if he falls a little short
of the goal. You keep his secrets and he'll keep yours.)</span></i></b></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: "Times New Roman","serif"; font-size: 12pt; line-height: 115%;"><b><i><span style="color: #741b47;">Resolution #1: I will eat less and exercise more.</span></i></b></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: "Times New Roman","serif"; font-size: 12pt; line-height: 115%;"><b><i><span style="color: #741b47;">Too many nights on the couch, too many dog biscuits
and too little time running around the local dog park has made me a little,
well, fluffier. I don't think the old "I'm-just-big-boned" excuse
will work anymore. I resolve to bug my owner to take me out to the doggy park
several times a week.</span></i></b></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: "Times New Roman","serif"; font-size: 12pt; line-height: 115%;"><b><i><span style="color: #741b47;">Resolution #2: I will beg less</span></i></b></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: "Times New Roman","serif"; font-size: 12pt; line-height: 115%;"><b><i><span style="color: #741b47;">I've got begging down to a fine art – he's putty in
my paws – but it sure is demeaning. I promise to reserve the begging for
worthwhile things, like going out to the park and T-bone steak.</span></i></b></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: "Times New Roman","serif"; font-size: 12pt; line-height: 115%;"><b><i><span style="color: #741b47;">Resolution #3: I will recognize the difference
between furniture and fire hydrants.</span></i></b></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: "Times New Roman","serif"; font-size: 12pt; line-height: 115%;"><b><i><span style="color: #741b47;">I promise not to treat the furniture and walls the
way I do fire hydrants. It drives my owners batty and has no lasting benefit
for me (they clear away the scent almost as fast as I can "deposit"
it.)</span></i></b></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: "Times New Roman","serif"; font-size: 12pt; line-height: 115%;"><b><i><span style="color: #741b47;">Resolution #4: I'll stay out of the cat's litter
box.</span></i></b></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: "Times New Roman","serif"; font-size: 12pt; line-height: 115%;"><b><i><span style="color: #741b47;">I vow to resist the urge to snoop around the cat's
private lavatory – even though it's a lot of fun and really makes her go nuts.</span></i></b></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: "Times New Roman","serif"; font-size: 12pt; line-height: 115%;"><b><i><span style="color: #741b47;">Resolution #5: I won't bite the vet anymore.</span></i></b></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: "Times New Roman","serif"; font-size: 12pt; line-height: 115%;"><b><i><span style="color: #741b47;">I'll remember that the vets and their staff are just
trying to help in their own, inscrutable way, although they really know how to
push my buttons with those needles!</span></i></b></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: "Times New Roman","serif"; font-size: 12pt; line-height: 115%;"><b><i><span style="color: #741b47;">Resolution #6: I won't steal food as much.</span></i></b></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: "Times New Roman","serif"; font-size: 12pt; line-height: 115%;"><b><i><span style="color: #741b47;">I won't go out of my way to steal food, although all
bets are off if they make it really easy for me.</span></i></b></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: "Times New Roman","serif"; font-size: 12pt; line-height: 115%;"><b><i><span style="color: #741b47;">Resolution #7: I'll introduce myself in more
appropriate ways.</span></i></b></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: "Times New Roman","serif"; font-size: 12pt; line-height: 115%;"><b><i><span style="color: #741b47;">In other words, I'll focus above the waist when
introducing myself to humans. Somehow, I get the feeling my normal greeting
methods invade their private space.</span></i></b></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: "Times New Roman","serif"; font-size: 12pt; line-height: 115%;"><b><i><span style="color: #741b47;">Resolution #8: I'll do better "holding it"
until morning.</span></i></b></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: "Times New Roman","serif"; font-size: 12pt; line-height: 115%;"><b><i><span style="color: #741b47;">When nature calls, I'll steel my resolve to wait for
my normal morning walk, unless special considerations apply. I'll decide what
those special considerations are.</span></i></b></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: "Times New Roman","serif"; font-size: 12pt; line-height: 115%;"><b><i><span style="color: #741b47;">Resolution #9: I'll bark at the mailman less.</span></i></b></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: "Times New Roman","serif"; font-size: 12pt; line-height: 115%;"><b><i><span style="color: #741b47;">Even though it works to put him in his place, I'll
try not to exercise my authority over him and other delivery people, although
my self-esteem does get a boost when they retreat.</span></i></b></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: "Times New Roman","serif"; font-size: 12pt; line-height: 115%;"><b><i><span style="color: #741b47;">Resolution #10: I'll tolerate those homemade
bandannas more.</span></i></b></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: "Times New Roman","serif"; font-size: 12pt; line-height: 115%;"><b><i><span style="color: #741b47;">My owner has gone to a lot of trouble to make these
things, so I'll just put up with the way they feel and the taunts of the other
dogs.<o:p></o:p></span></i></b></span></div>
Adapted from: <span style="font-family: "Times New Roman","serif"; font-size: 12pt; line-height: 115%; mso-ansi-language: EN-US; mso-bidi-language: AR-SA; mso-fareast-font-family: Calibri; mso-fareast-language: EN-US; mso-fareast-theme-font: minor-latin;"><a href="http://www.petplace.com/dogs/10-new-year-resolutions-for-your-dog/page1.aspx?utm_source=dogcrazynews001et&utm_medium=email&utm_content=petplace_article&utm_campaign=dailynewsletter"><span style="color: blue;">http://www.petplace.com/dogs/10-new-year-resolutions-for-your-dog/page1.aspx?utm_source=dogcrazynews001et&utm_medium=email&utm_content=petplace_article&utm_campaign=dailynewsletter</span></a></span><br />
<span style="font-family: "Times New Roman","serif"; font-size: 12pt; line-height: 115%; mso-ansi-language: EN-US; mso-bidi-language: AR-SA; mso-fareast-font-family: Calibri; mso-fareast-language: EN-US; mso-fareast-theme-font: minor-latin;">Some dogs are apparently smart enough to make their own resolution lists.</span><br />
<br />
Here's a very interesting and comprehensive web site that might give you some information and/or answers you can't find anywhere else:<br />
<br />
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<span style="font-family: "Times New Roman","serif"; line-height: 115%;"><b><i><span style="color: #b45f06;"><span style="font-size: x-large;">ALL ABOUT DOGS and CATS</span><span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span></span></i></b></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: "Times New Roman","serif"; font-size: 12pt; line-height: 115%;"><span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"></span><b><i><span style="color: #b45f06;"><span style="font-size: large;">Resource Center for Canine & Feline
Lovers<o:p></o:p></span></span></i></b></span></div>
Adapted from: <span style="font-family: "Times New Roman","serif"; font-size: 12pt; line-height: 115%; mso-ansi-language: EN-US; mso-bidi-language: AR-SA; mso-fareast-font-family: Calibri; mso-fareast-language: EN-US; mso-fareast-theme-font: minor-latin;"><a href="http://www.allaboutdogsandcats.com/"><span style="color: blue;">http://www.allaboutdogsandcats.com/</span></a>
</span><br />
<span style="font-family: "Times New Roman","serif"; font-size: 12pt; line-height: 115%; mso-ansi-language: EN-US; mso-bidi-language: AR-SA; mso-fareast-font-family: Calibri; mso-fareast-language: EN-US; mso-fareast-theme-font: minor-latin;"></span><br />
<span style="font-family: "Times New Roman","serif"; font-size: 12pt; line-height: 115%; mso-ansi-language: EN-US; mso-bidi-language: AR-SA; mso-fareast-font-family: Calibri; mso-fareast-language: EN-US; mso-fareast-theme-font: minor-latin;">When you get to this web site, click on "Pet Health" which will take you to another page. On this page is a small box that advertises Helpful Buckeye's blog, Questions On Dogs and Cats.</span><br />
<span style="font-family: "Times New Roman","serif"; font-size: 12pt; line-height: 115%; mso-ansi-language: EN-US; mso-bidi-language: AR-SA; mso-fareast-font-family: Calibri; mso-fareast-language: EN-US; mso-fareast-theme-font: minor-latin;"></span><br />
<span style="font-family: "Times New Roman","serif"; font-size: 12pt; line-height: 115%; mso-ansi-language: EN-US; mso-bidi-language: AR-SA; mso-fareast-font-family: Calibri; mso-fareast-language: EN-US; mso-fareast-theme-font: minor-latin;">
</span><br />
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<span style="font-family: "Times New Roman","serif"; font-size: 12pt; line-height: 115%;"><b><i><span style="font-size: x-large;"><span style="color: #7f6000;">Funny Dog Video: Doggy Pool Shark<o:p></o:p></span></span></i></b></span></div>
<br />
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<span style="font-family: "Times New Roman","serif"; font-size: 12pt; line-height: 115%;"><b><i><span style="color: #7f6000;">See him over there? That's "Fast Puppy"
Felson. Yeah, I know you've heard of him. He's hustled pool in every cheap,
crummy billiards joint in the country. Fast Puppy, yeah, he had nuthin', then
everything, then nuthin' again. I heard one time he hustled the wrong pool
shark, got himself into some trouble. The guy was gonna break Fast Puppy's
thumbs, but there was one problem: Fast Puppy's a dog, ain't got no thumbs. But
they ran 'im outta town on a rail and he didn't even collect the cabbage he'd
won square. One thing's fer sure: he shoots a great game of pool.</span></i></b></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: "Times New Roman","serif"; font-size: 12pt; line-height: 115%;">Adapted from: <a href="http://www.pawnation.com/2009/09/09/doggy-pool-shark/"><span style="color: blue;">http://www.pawnation.com/2009/09/09/doggy-pool-shark/</span></a>
</span></div>
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<span style="font-family: "Times New Roman","serif"; font-size: 12pt; line-height: 115%;">Just click on the video to see "Fast Puppy" in action. If you don't understand the significance of the "Felson" part, let me know. This dog can play on my team any time he wants!</span></div>
</div>
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<span style="font-family: "Times New Roman","serif"; font-size: 12pt; line-height: 115%; mso-ansi-language: EN-US; mso-bidi-language: AR-SA; mso-fareast-font-family: Calibri; mso-fareast-language: EN-US; mso-fareast-theme-font: minor-latin;"><span style="font-family: "Times New Roman","serif"; font-size: 12pt; line-height: 115%;">OK, let's turn the tables a bit and finish up with some crazy things that dog owners do:</span></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: "Times New Roman","serif"; font-size: 12pt; line-height: 115%; mso-ansi-language: EN-US; mso-bidi-language: AR-SA; mso-fareast-font-family: Calibri; mso-fareast-language: EN-US; mso-fareast-theme-font: minor-latin;"><span style="font-family: "Times New Roman","serif"; font-size: 12pt; line-height: 115%;">
</span></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: "Times New Roman","serif"; font-size: 12pt; line-height: 115%;"><b><i><span style="font-size: x-large;"><span style="color: #351c75;">The Dumbest Things Dog Owners Do<o:p></o:p></span></span></i></b></span></div>
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Most dog owners are great. But sometimes even the best dog owners will make
mistakes. Most of the time, the people involved are well intentioned but
misinformed.<br />
<br />
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjFhB3q50_uQuOznL-Gu975sCt-9yco-N2BU_5O1GwojcJ-f0BxIW_syzt1pDoRf4zcZ_wImY1_wLQyZP3SzAd6Rbe5nsMo7dwXhPdmfUFjog0EVH6jJpiD5TiSDKJ0xx9v7Whfb2FJ-_I/s1600/Dog+Covering+Eyes.png" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjFhB3q50_uQuOznL-Gu975sCt-9yco-N2BU_5O1GwojcJ-f0BxIW_syzt1pDoRf4zcZ_wImY1_wLQyZP3SzAd6Rbe5nsMo7dwXhPdmfUFjog0EVH6jJpiD5TiSDKJ0xx9v7Whfb2FJ-_I/s1600/Dog+Covering+Eyes.png" /></a></div>
<span style="font-family: "MS Mincho"; mso-bidi-font-family: "MS Mincho";"> </span>Here are three mistakes dog owners often make - the mistakes might seem small
but the results can be quite serious.</div>
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1. <b><i>Self-medicating your dog </i></b>- When your dog is sick, NEVER give
your dog ANY medication without speaking to your veterinarian. This is really
dangerous. Over-the-counter medications such as acetaminophen (Tylenol),
ibuprofen and aspirin are toxic to dogs in relatively small doses. Don't
medicate your dog without the advice of your veterinarian.</div>
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2. <b><i><span style="color: black;">Using flea medications improperly</span></i></b> - Flea
medications are a great way to control fleas - but you must be careful to use the
product only as directed. Follow the safety guidelines and NEVER EVER give dog
flea medications to cats. </div>
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3. <b><i>No ID tag</i></b> - Dogs can run out the door, break free from
their leash, or escape through an unlatched gate. My friends' dog ran out the
front door a few months ago. They searched and searched for hours and
eventually they found him - but they were lucky. Did you know less than 5% of
all lost pets are reunited with their owners? It may even be a low as 2 or 3%.
This is a terribly sad statistic - especially because many of those poor pets
could have been returned to their owners if only they had been wearing an ID
tag. <br />
<br />
Remember - don't give any medications or flea products to your dog without your
veterinarian's approval and keep an ID tag on your dog at all times. You just
never know what can happen.</div>
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Adapted from: <span style="font-family: Times, "Times New Roman", serif;"> <span style="font-family: "Times New Roman","serif"; font-size: 11pt; line-height: 115%; mso-ansi-language: EN-US; mso-bidi-language: AR-SA; mso-fareast-font-family: Calibri; mso-fareast-language: EN-US; mso-fareast-theme-font: minor-latin;"><a href="http://view.petplace.com/?j=fe621574756503757712&m=feff1273766004&ls=fded10797066007876137876&jb=ffcf14"><span style="color: blue;">http://view.petplace.com/?j=fe621574756503757712&m=feff1273766004&ls=fded10797066007876137876&jb=ffcf14</span></a></span></span></div>
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEib10cdlbTRyZjxmvIT-CpL2j6SHr4nMWggjZN1pegx8Dw7F6D1mGcQXL2pT0S-9HuAfV9ScW5o7HDzk2Fny9XkdzYVGGNDIIv-Go1U1cWlaYoovRxgFf9j_lbTA58m20uAQasjh3gGZ48/s1600/sports+balls.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEib10cdlbTRyZjxmvIT-CpL2j6SHr4nMWggjZN1pegx8Dw7F6D1mGcQXL2pT0S-9HuAfV9ScW5o7HDzk2Fny9XkdzYVGGNDIIv-Go1U1cWlaYoovRxgFf9j_lbTA58m20uAQasjh3gGZ48/s1600/sports+balls.jpg" /></a>The Ohio State Buckeyes have always had a problem winning at Michigan State
and yesterday was no exception.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>Our guys
kept the game close and almost pulled it out at the end.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>Our only offense came from the conference’s
leading scorer…he scored more points than the rest of the team.<br />
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Regular readers know that Helpful Buckeye's favorite sport is baseball and I am already getting chills thinking about spring training...not that the sub-zero temperatures overnight aren't contributing to that just a little. Anyway, the baseball world lost a gem yesterday, with the death of Stan "The Man" Musial. Musial was just about the perfect player, in all respects--talent, character, and decency. In fact, it was the loyal fans of the old Brooklyn Dodgers who gave him the nickname, Stan "The Man", because he played so well in their ball park, Ebbets Field. Musial came from Donora, PA, just a few miles from Helpful Buckeye's hometown and shared that location with Perry Como, Bobby Vinton, Joe Montana, Ken Griffey, Shirley Jones, and Demi Moore. Rest in peace, as "The Man" in the big Hall of Fame in the sky....<br />
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<span style="mso-bidi-font-weight: normal;">A further note about Stan Musial: when asked to describe the habits that
kept him in baseball (remember, this was back in the 1940s) for so long, Musial once said: <i><b>"Get eight hours of
sleep regularly. Keep your weight down, run a mile a day. If you must smoke,
try light cigars. They cut down on inhaling...make it a point to bat .300."</b></i></span><br />
<br />
<span style="mso-bidi-font-weight: normal;"><span style="font-family: "Times New Roman","serif"; font-size: 12pt; mso-ansi-language: EN-US; mso-bidi-language: AR-SA; mso-fareast-font-family: "Times New Roman"; mso-fareast-language: EN-US;">Pretty good advice for just about anybody, huh?</span></span><br />
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<em><span style="color: black;">~~The goal of this blog is to
provide general information and advice to help you be a better pet owner and to
have a more rewarding relationship with your pet. This blog does not intend to
replace the professional one-on-one care your pet receives from a practicing
veterinarian. When in doubt about your pet's health, always visit a
veterinarian.~~</span></em></div>
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Helpful Buckeyehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/18134633849820948837noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-16663019142577616.post-73437705758127517942013-01-13T23:00:00.000-07:002013-01-13T23:00:03.904-07:00HOW MUCH DO YOU KNOW ABOUT DOGS AND CATS?<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
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In a few months, <b><span style="color: #990000;">Questions On Dogs and Cats</span></b> will be having its 5th birthday. Many of you have been with us from the beginning and you all know we have covered a lot of different topics in that time. As I was looking over my files of information on topics to be covered in this blog, I wondered if there was any way for me to determine if my readers have really benefited from our diverse range of information over the years. So, that's how I arrived at the question we're asking this week...<b><i>How much do you know about dogs and cats?</i></b><br />
<b><i></i></b><br />
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This isn't going to be like a home work assignment, with studying, taking notes, and preparing for a big test. Think of it as a general review of a lot of things we've presented, with a few new things thrown into the mix. I hope you'll enjoy the mixture, while you also realize that you have absorbed a bunch of information on dogs and cats over the years. Here we go....<br />
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<span style="font-family: "Times New Roman","serif"; line-height: 115%;"><span style="font-size: x-large;"><b><i><span style="color: #0b5394;">10 Things You Didn't Know About Dogs<o:p></o:p></span></i></b></span></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: "Times New Roman","serif"; font-size: 12pt; line-height: 115%;"><b><i><span style="color: #0b5394;"><u>Doggie Facts</u></span></i></b></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: "Times New Roman","serif"; font-size: 12pt; line-height: 115%;"><b><i><span style="color: #0b5394;">Dogs and humans have been living side-by-side for
about 15,000 years, so you might think we know each other pretty well. But
there's more to dogs than fetching and playing dead. Here are some little-known
facts about man's best friend.</span></i></b></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: "Times New Roman","serif"; font-size: 12pt; line-height: 115%;"><b><i><span style="color: #0b5394;"><u>Dogs get our diseases ...</u></span></i></b></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: "Times New Roman","serif"; font-size: 12pt; line-height: 115%;"><b><i><span style="color: #0b5394;">Humans and canines aren't so different after all, at
least regarding what makes us sick. About 6 million dogs are diagnosed with
cancer each year, and dogs get canine versions of rare human disorders like the
brain-wasting neuronal ceroid lipofuscinosis that leads to the inability to
walk or control their muscles. While illness is sad for humans and pets alike,
sharing diseases benefits both species. Clinical trials are easier to run on
pets, giving doctors an animal model of human disease -- and Fido a chance for
a cure.</span></i></b></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: "Times New Roman","serif"; font-size: 12pt; line-height: 115%;"><b><i><span style="color: #0b5394;"><u>... And they can smell our diseases, too</u></span></i></b></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: "Times New Roman","serif"; font-size: 12pt; line-height: 115%;"><b><i><span style="color: #0b5394;"><span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>If you have
cancer, diabetes, or epilepsy, your dog might be the first to know. Studies
have shown that dogs can be trained to sniff out cancers of the lung, breast,
skin, bladder and prostate. Researchers suspect the canines are picking up on
extraordinarily faint scents given off by the abnormal cells. </span></i></b></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: "Times New Roman","serif"; font-size: 12pt; line-height: 115%;"><b><i><span style="color: #0b5394;">Dogs are also being increasingly used as service
animals for people with diabetes, whose health can be harmed when their blood
sugar peaks or drops. Specially trained dogs can detect the scent of these
fluctuations (sweet for high blood sugar, acidic for low) and alert their
owners before they even feel symptoms. </span></i></b></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: "Times New Roman","serif"; font-size: 12pt; line-height: 115%;"><b><i><span style="color: #0b5394;">Most mysterious of all are scattered reports that
dogs can predict an epileptic seizure 45 minutes before it begins. No one knows
what the dogs might be picking up on, but theories range from an unknown smell
to subtle behavioral changes.</span></i></b></span></div>
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<span lang="EN" style="font-family: "Times New Roman","serif"; font-size: 12pt; mso-ansi-language: EN; mso-fareast-font-family: "Times New Roman";"><b><i><span style="color: #0b5394;"><u>See Spot think</u></span></i></b></span></div>
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<span lang="EN" style="font-family: "Times New Roman","serif"; font-size: 12pt; mso-ansi-language: EN; mso-fareast-font-family: "Times New Roman";"><b><i><span style="color: #0b5394;">Dogs can be as smart as 2-year-old children</span></i></b></span><span lang="EN" style="font-family: "Times New Roman","serif"; font-size: 12pt; mso-ansi-language: EN; mso-fareast-font-family: "Times New Roman";"><b><i><span style="color: #0b5394;">, according to
research presented in 2009 at a meeting of the American Psychological
Association. Border collies are the top dogs in the intelligence category, with
some in the breed capable of understanding up to 200 words. Poodles, German
shepherds, Golden retrievers and Dobermans round out the top five smartest
breeds. (The most popular breed in America, the Labrador retriever, comes in at
number seven.)</span></i></b></span><br />
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<span lang="EN" style="font-family: "Times New Roman","serif"; font-size: 12pt; mso-ansi-language: EN; mso-fareast-font-family: "Times New Roman";"><b><i><span style="color: #0b5394;">Older breeds
like hound dogs, bulldogs and beagles are among the slow learners of the doggie
world, the researchers reported. Unlike newer dog breeds, which are designed
for companionship and sociability, old breeds were bred to sniff and hunt,
perhaps giving them more brawn than brain.</span></i></b></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: "Times New Roman","serif"; font-size: 12pt; line-height: 115%;"><b><i><span style="color: #0b5394;"><u>Your furball can make you sick</u></span></i></b></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: "Times New Roman","serif"; font-size: 12pt; line-height: 115%;"><b><i><span style="color: #0b5394;">We've all heard the canard that dogs' mouths are
cleaner than humans (they're not), but in reality, dogs can carry pathogens
that harm humans. Rabies, a fatal neurological disease, is the most famous
(remember Old Yeller?), though vaccines, mandated by law in most states, can
stop the spread. In a few cases, dog food has been known to cause food
poisoning in humans, thanks to contamination by Salmonella bacteria. Perhaps
creepiest of all is a 2003 study published in The Veterinary Record, which
found that humans could contract the parasitic roundworm Toxocara canis just be
stroking an infected dogs' fur. The roundworm, which grows in dogs' intestines,
can grow in the back of the eye in humans, causing blindness. They also
sometimes take up residence in human livers and lungs. </span></i></b></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: "Times New Roman","serif"; font-size: 12pt; line-height: 115%;"><b><i><span style="color: #0b5394;">Roundworm infections in humans are rare, and proper
veterinary care can ensure that dogs stay worm-free. Still, British
veterinarian and study co-author told New Scientist magazine in 2003, hygiene
is important for dog owners. "Wash your hands before meals," he told
the magazine, "and after a good cuddle."</span></i></b></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: "Times New Roman","serif"; font-size: 12pt; line-height: 115%;"><b><i><span style="color: #0b5394;"><u>Dogs feel envy ...</u></span></i></b></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: "Times New Roman","serif"; font-size: 12pt; line-height: 115%;"><b><i><span style="color: #0b5394;">Dogs know when they're not getting a fair shake. A
2008 study published in the journal Proceedings of the National Academy of
Sciences found that when dogs saw other dogs getting treats for a trick they'd
been performing unrewarded, the unrewarded dogs became agitated, scratching
themselves and avoiding the gaze of the rewarded dogs. They also stopped doing
the trick much faster than if they were alone and not getting a reward. </span></i></b></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: "Times New Roman","serif"; font-size: 12pt; line-height: 115%;"><b><i><span style="color: #0b5394;">The dogs' version of jealousy wasn't as
sophisticated as a human's: The animals didn't seem to mind if other dogs got
sausage while they just got bread, and they didn't care if another dog got food
for nothing while they had to do tricks for a snack. But, the researchers
wrote, the findings were good evidence that being green with envy isn't just a
primate thing.</span></i></b></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: "Times New Roman","serif"; font-size: 12pt; line-height: 115%;"><b><i><span style="color: #0b5394;"><u>... But not guilt</u></span></i></b></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: "Times New Roman","serif"; font-size: 12pt; line-height: 115%;"><b><i><span style="color: #0b5394;"><span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>Those
puppy-dog eyes Fido gives you when you scold him over knocking over the garbage
can for the umpteenth time aren’t a sign of guilt, researchers say. He's just
responding to your rebuke. </span></i></b></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: "Times New Roman","serif"; font-size: 12pt; line-height: 115%;"><b><i><span style="color: #0b5394;">When dog owners thought their dogs had eaten a
forbidden treat and reprimanded them, the pooches looked just as
"guilty" regardless of whether or not they had actually eaten the
treat. In fact, dogs who were wrongly accused of snack-snatching often looked
more guilty than dogs who had really eaten the treat. Turns out those soulful
eyes don't reflect any soul-searching, after all.</span></i></b></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: "Times New Roman","serif"; font-size: 12pt; line-height: 115%;"><b><i><span style="color: #0b5394;"><u>Docile dogs live longer</u></span></i></b></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: "Times New Roman","serif"; font-size: 12pt; line-height: 115%;"><b><i><span style="color: #0b5394;"><span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>On the other
hand, if your dog stays out of the garbage, it may be in for a longer life.
Obedient, docile dog breeds live longer, according to research published in
June 2010 in The American Naturalist. The study compared the energy use,
personalities, growth rates and life spans of 56 dog breeds. After controlling
for factors like body size, the researchers found that bold, aggressive breeds
lived fast and died young. They grew faster than obedient, eager-to-please
breeds, and also had higher energy needs. The findings suggest that in
selectively breeding for personality, humans inadvertently tapped into linked
traits like metabolism and longevity.</span></i></b></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: "Times New Roman","serif"; font-size: 12pt; line-height: 115%;"><b><i><span style="color: #0b5394;"><u>Dogs are the most diverse-looking mammals around</u></span></i></b></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: "Times New Roman","serif"; font-size: 12pt; line-height: 115%;"><b><i><span style="color: #0b5394;"><span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>From the
droopy Bassett hound to the sleek-and-slim Weimaraner, dogs show an amazing
diversity in body shape. A study published in The American Naturalist in 2010
found that the differences between dog breeds' skulls are as pronounced as the
differences between completely separate mammal species. A Collie skull, for
example, is as different from a Pekingese skull as a cat's skull is from a
walrus's. </span></i></b></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: "Times New Roman","serif"; font-size: 12pt; line-height: 115%;"><b><i><span style="color: #0b5394;">All of this diversity makes dogs a great species for
studying how genes work, allowing researchers to link genes to certain traits
-- like what makes Shar-Peis wrinkly and dachshunds so stubby.</span></i></b></span><br />
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<span style="font-family: "Times New Roman","serif"; font-size: 12pt; line-height: 115%;"><b><i><span style="color: #0b5394;"><u>Lassie, religious icon or social glue?</u></span></i></b></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: "Times New Roman","serif"; font-size: 12pt; line-height: 115%;"><b><i><span style="color: #0b5394;"><span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>In ancient
times, people saw dogs as more than useful animals; dogs also had a spiritual
role. The three-headed hound called Cerberus guarded the underworld in Greek
myth, while the ancient Egyptian embalmers took Anubis, the jackel-headed god,
as their patron. In Mayan folklore, dogs were believed to lead the dead to the
afterlife. In Nepal, the autumn festival of Tihar sets aside a day to honor
dogs with flower garlands and food. </span></i></b></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: "Times New Roman","serif"; font-size: 12pt; line-height: 115%;"><b><i><span style="color: #0b5394;">Nowadays, dogs are more likely to be seen as pets
than religious figures, but people are still crazy about canines. According to
a 2009-2010 survey by the American Pet Products Manufacturers Association, 39
percent of American households have at least one dog for a total of over 77
million pet dogs hunkered down in American homes. In one recent survey, 80
percent of dog owners reported interacting with their dogs for more than two
hours a day. Many reported viewing their pets as their children. </span></i></b></span><br />
<br />
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhigwRzs4NGXG6xSPUksV-HQQqqyJ5Wz-vbF0N1DZ97Jhhyz9c2-4YuDnUbW0cYGILwJlsH0FgA3oJSgxerUxXCLCBKsCN8oO702BtLMgKA-rGMuEfwaP2X99nWeivCm2jXMU5eve3-TD8/s1600/Blinking+Dog2.bmp" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhigwRzs4NGXG6xSPUksV-HQQqqyJ5Wz-vbF0N1DZ97Jhhyz9c2-4YuDnUbW0cYGILwJlsH0FgA3oJSgxerUxXCLCBKsCN8oO702BtLMgKA-rGMuEfwaP2X99nWeivCm2jXMU5eve3-TD8/s320/Blinking+Dog2.bmp" width="291" /></a></div>
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<span style="font-family: "Times New Roman","serif"; font-size: 12pt; line-height: 115%;"></span><b><i><span style="color: #0b5394;"><span style="font-family: "Times New Roman","serif"; font-size: 12pt; line-height: 115%; mso-ansi-language: EN-US; mso-bidi-language: AR-SA; mso-fareast-font-family: Calibri; mso-fareast-language: EN-US; mso-fareast-theme-font: minor-latin;">Man's best friend may
even net you more human friends. A 2000 study published in journal of The
British Psychological Society found that walking with a dog at least tripled
the number of social interactions a person had. Unfashionable pet owners take
heart: The dogs elicited positive social contact even when the animal looked
fierce or the owner dressed in shabby clothes.</span></span></i></b></div>
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<span style="font-family: "Times New Roman","serif"; font-size: 12pt; line-height: 115%; mso-ansi-language: EN-US; mso-bidi-language: AR-SA; mso-fareast-font-family: Calibri; mso-fareast-language: EN-US; mso-fareast-theme-font: minor-latin;"><span style="color: black;">Adapted from: <a href="http://www.livescience.com/13305-facts-dog-breeds-genetics-pets.html"><span style="font-family: "Times New Roman","serif"; font-size: 12pt; line-height: 115%;"><span style="color: blue;">http://www.livescience.com/13305-facts-dog-breeds-genetics-pets.html</span></span></a><span style="font-family: "Times New Roman","serif"; font-size: 12pt; line-height: 115%;">
</span></span></span></div>
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<span style="color: black;"><span style="font-family: "Times New Roman","serif"; font-size: 12pt; line-height: 115%;"><span style="font-size: x-large;"><b><i><span style="color: #741b47;">5 Facts About Cats You (Probably) Never Knew<o:p></o:p></span></i></b></span></span></span></div>
<span style="color: black;">
</span><br />
<span style="color: black;"></span><br />
<span style="color: black;"><div class="MsoNormal" style="margin: 0in 0in 10pt;">
<span style="font-family: "Times New Roman","serif"; font-size: 12pt; line-height: 115%;"><b><i><span style="color: #741b47;">Meow Monday</span></i></b></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: "Times New Roman","serif"; font-size: 12pt; line-height: 115%;"><b><i><span style="color: #741b47;">It’s Monday and that means it’s meow time. Today, we
have some fun and interesting cat facts you probably never knew. So read on and
afterwards, impress all your friends with your new found knowledge of cats.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span></span></i></b></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: "Times New Roman","serif"; font-size: 12pt; line-height: 115%;"><b><i><span style="color: #741b47;"><u>#5 Windows to the Soul</u> </span></i></b></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: "Times New Roman","serif"; font-size: 12pt; line-height: 115%;"><b><i><span style="color: #741b47;">A swishing tail is not the
only way to tell the mood of your cat. Watch the eyes. If her pupils are large
then she’s either scared or excited about something (if you’re holding fish or
some other delicious treat, it’s probably the latter). But if her pupils are
narrow slits then watch out -- she’s angry.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span></span></i></b></span><br />
<br />
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh7ArXdxqKoSjbGerNEjz9uyAIgc1RcOmMX7RdNodH6E2Tgy4fGyR-dOat2tLay29Eo8sQAxHusZ-OjgByjmIZGVA0otb2gGyKXEpSYBUKhirhTJwXDaponcWhFCqOuLgUD7dmyXrp7KL8/s1600/Cute+Cat.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh7ArXdxqKoSjbGerNEjz9uyAIgc1RcOmMX7RdNodH6E2Tgy4fGyR-dOat2tLay29Eo8sQAxHusZ-OjgByjmIZGVA0otb2gGyKXEpSYBUKhirhTJwXDaponcWhFCqOuLgUD7dmyXrp7KL8/s320/Cute+Cat.jpg" width="297" /></a></div>
</div>
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<span style="font-family: "Times New Roman","serif"; font-size: 12pt; line-height: 115%;"><b><i><span style="color: #741b47;"><u>#4 Feather-Weight Champion of the World</u> </span></i></b></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: "Times New Roman","serif"; font-size: 12pt; line-height: 115%;"><b><i><span style="color: #741b47;">The world’s
smallest cat is the Singapura. This tiny kitty from Southeast Asia usually
weighs in at no more than four pounds, which might be light enough for a career
on the catwalk (no pun intended).<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span></span></i></b></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: "Times New Roman","serif"; font-size: 12pt; line-height: 115%;"><b><i><span style="color: #741b47;"><u>#3 Vocally Gifted</u> </span></i></b></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: "Times New Roman","serif"; font-size: 12pt; line-height: 115%;"><b><i><span style="color: #741b47;">While you shouldn't be holding
your breath for a hit song from a cat anytime soon (though you never know with
YouTube mania), there is a reason why cats are so talkative: their ability to
make over 100 different sounds. Dogs, on the other hand, can make only 10
different vocalizations.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span></span></i></b></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: "Times New Roman","serif"; font-size: 12pt; line-height: 115%;"><b><i><span style="color: #741b47;"><u>#2 Fear and Loathing ...</u> </span></i></b></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: "Times New Roman","serif"; font-size: 12pt; line-height: 115%;"><b><i><span style="color: #741b47;">But Also Love Both Julius
Caesar and Napoleon were scared of cats! But not Abraham Lincoln. He loved
them, and had four cats during his time as president.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span></span></i></b></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: "Times New Roman","serif"; font-size: 12pt; line-height: 115%;"><b><i><span style="color: #741b47;"><u>#1 Working Hard for the Money</u> </span></i></b></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: "Times New Roman","serif"; font-size: 12pt; line-height: 115%;"><b><i><span style="color: #741b47;">In 1879, Belgium came
up with the idea to use cats to deliver their mail. This didn’t last long,
though, as the 37 feline mail carriers proved to be too undisciplined to carry
out the job. You have to give them credit for trying. Cats just don’t believe
in working. That’s for peasants (ask any cat).<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;">
</span></span></i></b></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: "Times New Roman","serif"; font-size: 12pt; line-height: 115%;"><b><i><span style="color: #741b47;">So there you have it. Five fun and interesting cat
facts.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span></span></i></b></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: "Times New Roman","serif"; font-size: 12pt; line-height: 115%;"><b><i><span style="color: #741b47;">Meow! It’s Monday.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;">
</span><o:p></o:p></span></i></b></span></div>
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Adapted from: <a href="http://www.pet360.com/cat/lifestyle/5-facts-about-cats-you-probably-never-knew/sdN9zIMpmUCW-cOG7fjZ9Q?utm_source=outbrain&utm_medium=outbrain&utm_campaign=5-Facts-About-Cats-You-Probably-Never-Kn&extcid=OUTB"><span style="font-family: "Times New Roman","serif"; font-size: 12pt; line-height: 115%;"><span style="color: blue;">http://www.pet360.com/cat/lifestyle/5-facts-about-cats-you-probably-never-knew/sdN9zIMpmUCW-cOG7fjZ9Q?utm_source=outbrain&utm_medium=outbrain&utm_campaign=5-Facts-About-Cats-You-Probably-Never-Kn&extcid=OUTB</span></span></a><span style="font-family: "Times New Roman","serif"; font-size: 12pt; line-height: 115%;">
</span></div>
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<span style="font-family: "Times New Roman","serif"; line-height: 115%;"><span style="color: #38761d; font-size: x-large;"><b><i>Dog Behavior Myths</i></b></span></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin: 0in 0in 10pt;">
<span style="font-family: "Times New Roman","serif"; font-size: 12pt; line-height: 115%;">Dr. Stu Robson</span></div>
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<span style="font-family: "Times New Roman","serif"; font-size: 12pt; line-height: 115%;"><b><i><span style="color: #38761d;">A Humane Society survey says Americans own 78
million dogs. So what do you really know about owning a pooch? Veterinarian Dr.
Stu Robson from Fox-Creek Veterinary Clinic talks about some of the most common
myths about dog ownership.</span></i></b></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: "Times New Roman","serif"; font-size: 12pt; line-height: 115%;"><b><i><span style="color: #38761d;">1. An old dog can’t learn new tricks.</span></i></b></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: "Times New Roman","serif"; font-size: 12pt; line-height: 115%;"><b><i><span style="color: #38761d;"><span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>((False. Old
dogs not only learn new tricks but they thrive when trained.))</span></i></b></span><br />
<br />
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjkK4E8rB4QBEwxUDj5u4uJ-QuL_jOs3mAPyJ07sxcARk7zRyor6rw0haXmPiF6biOjhjYTSlqXjHc6xOoYwNY4TVFdjES1mcHHYG4z5XMJTycyVjHA1h3hXqr0J6B2sAU8XZ1nCGngvcg/s1600/Acrobatic+Dog.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjkK4E8rB4QBEwxUDj5u4uJ-QuL_jOs3mAPyJ07sxcARk7zRyor6rw0haXmPiF6biOjhjYTSlqXjHc6xOoYwNY4TVFdjES1mcHHYG4z5XMJTycyVjHA1h3hXqr0J6B2sAU8XZ1nCGngvcg/s1600/Acrobatic+Dog.jpg" /></a></div>
</div>
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<span style="font-family: "Times New Roman","serif"; font-size: 12pt; line-height: 115%;"><b><i><span style="color: #38761d;">2. A dog shouldn’t sleep with you or be allowed on
furniture, or she’ll think she’s the boss and will misbehave.</span></i></b></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: "Times New Roman","serif"; font-size: 12pt; line-height: 115%;"><b><i><span style="color: #38761d;"><span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>((False. Just
like humans, dogs simply want a comfortable place to lie down.))</span></i></b></span><br />
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhsHmA_wqw0V2_WudJiTK0NpKGBxf39Hx9G6O4oHlyQ7iCQDagpwUWXtlHxLEAmMiK8m5EO51GGiTn0O5c0SDWQ4mp5oVa19w7mbDYC1v6f_npaqs3GYOdZ32jP1QXdMWsWAk-w0PYzgVM/s1600/Dog+in+bed2.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhsHmA_wqw0V2_WudJiTK0NpKGBxf39Hx9G6O4oHlyQ7iCQDagpwUWXtlHxLEAmMiK8m5EO51GGiTn0O5c0SDWQ4mp5oVa19w7mbDYC1v6f_npaqs3GYOdZ32jP1QXdMWsWAk-w0PYzgVM/s1600/Dog+in+bed2.jpg" /></a></div>
</div>
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<span style="font-family: "Times New Roman","serif"; font-size: 12pt; line-height: 115%;"><b><i><span style="color: #38761d;">3. When your dog has a potty accident, it’s
important to rub her nose in it to let her know what she did.</span></i></b></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: "Times New Roman","serif"; font-size: 12pt; line-height: 115%;"><b><i><span style="color: #38761d;"><span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>((False. When
you rub a dog’s nose in her own mess, she often sees no association between
that and her having had a potty accident.))</span></i></b></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: "Times New Roman","serif"; font-size: 12pt; line-height: 115%;"><b><i><span style="color: #38761d;">4. A dog who cowers from people was likely abused in
the past.</span></i></b></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: "Times New Roman","serif"; font-size: 12pt; line-height: 115%;"><b><i><span style="color: #38761d;"><span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>((False.
There are various reasons for dogs cowering, and not all of them are because a
dog was abused.))</span></i></b></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: "Times New Roman","serif"; font-size: 12pt; line-height: 115%;"><b><i><span style="color: #38761d;">5. Shelter dogs have too much baggage. It’s better
to adopt a puppy to start with a clean slate.</span></i></b></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: "Times New Roman","serif"; font-size: 12pt; line-height: 115%;"><b><i><span style="color: #38761d;"><span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>((False. Many
shelter dogs are well-behaved pooches who, for an endless list of possible
reasons))</span></i></b></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: "Times New Roman","serif"; font-size: 12pt; line-height: 115%;"><b><i><span style="color: #38761d;">6. All dogs should enjoy being around other dogs.
It’s essential for dogs to go on outings with other dogs, such as at the dog
park. If a dog doesn’t enjoy other dogs, there is something wrong with her.</span></i></b></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: "Times New Roman","serif"; font-size: 12pt; line-height: 115%;"><b><i><span style="color: #38761d;"><span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>((False. Not
all people are social butterflies and neither are all dogs.))</span></i></b></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: "Times New Roman","serif"; font-size: 12pt; line-height: 115%;"><b><i><span style="color: #38761d;">7. You should let dogs just fight it out when they
get into a scuffle.</span></i></b></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: "Times New Roman","serif"; font-size: 12pt; line-height: 115%;"><b><i><span style="color: #38761d;"><span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>((False
(well, at least partly false). It’s true that you should never get into the
middle of a dog fight, because some of the most damaging dog bites occur when
owners try to separate fighting dogs.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;">
</span>Try using water, a really loud noise, or even a distraction like
grabbing a treat bag or using voice to direct them to do something else.))</span></i></b></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: "Times New Roman","serif"; font-size: 12pt; line-height: 115%;"><b><i><span style="color: #38761d;">8. My dog is trying to show she’s in charge when she
doesn’t listen to me.</span></i></b></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin: 0in 0in 10pt;">
<span style="font-family: "Times New Roman","serif"; font-size: 12pt; line-height: 115%;"><b><i><span style="color: #38761d;"><span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>((False. dogs
don’t have the same complex emotions as humans.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;">
</span>For example, most dogs don’t come when called because the payoff isn’t
worth it.))</span></i></b></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: "Times New Roman","serif"; font-size: 12pt; line-height: 115%;"><b><i><span style="color: #38761d;">9. My dog knows she was bad after she goes potty in
the house. Her guilty face says it all.</span></i></b></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin: 0in 0in 10pt;">
<span style="font-family: "Times New Roman","serif"; font-size: 12pt; line-height: 115%;"><b><i><span style="color: #38761d;"><span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>(( False. “guilty
look” dogs display is solely attributed by humans and has no relation to
whether the dog is actually responsible for an offense.))</span></i></b></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin: 0in 0in 10pt;">
<span style="font-family: "Times New Roman","serif"; font-size: 12pt; line-height: 115%;"><b><i><span style="color: #38761d;">10. It’s always the owner’s fault when a dog
misbehaves.</span></i></b></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin: 0in 0in 10pt;">
<span style="font-family: "Times New Roman","serif"; font-size: 12pt; line-height: 115%;"><b><i><span style="color: #38761d;"><span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>((False. Most
owners are well-meaning, but are simply misinformed or lack knowledge on how to
train their dogs effectively.))</span></i></b></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin: 0in 0in 10pt;">
<span style="font-family: "Times New Roman","serif"; font-size: 12pt; line-height: 115%;"><b><i><span style="color: #38761d;">11. Using treats for training is bribery, and the
dog won’t do the behavior later if you don’t give her a treat.</span></i></b></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin: 0in 0in 10pt;">
<span style="font-family: "Times New Roman","serif"; font-size: 12pt; line-height: 115%;"><b><i><span style="color: #38761d;"><span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>((False. It’s
true that dogs need motivation to perform a behavior.))</span></i></b></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin: 0in 0in 10pt;">
<span style="font-family: "Times New Roman","serif"; font-size: 12pt; line-height: 115%;"><b><i><span style="color: #38761d;">12. When a dog chews up shoes or destroys furniture
it’s because she’s punishing the owner.</span></i></b></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin: 0in 0in 10pt;">
<span style="font-family: "Times New Roman","serif"; font-size: 12pt; line-height: 115%;"><b><i><span style="color: #38761d;"><span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>((False. Dogs
chew on shoes, furniture and other human items not to punish their owners, but
simply because it feels good on their teeth, it relieves boredom, releases
energy and, in some cases, may indicate separation anxiety.))</span></i></b></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin: 0in 0in 10pt;">
<span style="font-family: "Times New Roman","serif"; font-size: 12pt; line-height: 115%;"><b><i><span style="color: #38761d;">13. A dog can’t really be happy unless she can run
off-leash.</span></i></b></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin: 0in 0in 10pt;">
<span style="font-family: "Times New Roman","serif"; font-size: 12pt; line-height: 115%;"><b><i><span style="color: #38761d;"><span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>((False.
Leashes are made for a dog’s safety. Although regular off-leash play in a
fenced area is essential for a dog’s well-being, while out in public, dogs can
learn to be perfectly content on a leash at their owner’s side))</span></i></b></span><br />
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<span style="font-family: "Times New Roman","serif"; font-size: 12pt; line-height: 115%;"><b><i><span style="color: #38761d;">14. Dogs are great judges of people, so if a dog
doesn’t like someone, it must mean there is something wrong with that person.</span></i></b></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: "Times New Roman","serif"; font-size: 12pt; line-height: 115%;"><b><i><span style="color: #38761d;"><span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>((False.
there have been plenty of circumstances where pets have used an apparent sixth
sense to pick up on cues that went unseen by their human and actually saved
their human’s life. they are reacting out of fear to a certain physical
attribute, movement or the physical proximity of a person, and are not reacting
based on any moral evaluation of the individual.))</span></i></b></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: "Times New Roman","serif"; font-size: 12pt; line-height: 115%;">Adapted from: <span style="font-family: "Times New Roman","serif"; font-size: 12pt; line-height: 115%;"><a href="http://fox2now.com/2012/04/18/dog-behavior-myths-from-dr-stu-robson/"><span style="color: blue;">http://fox2now.com/2012/04/18/dog-behavior-myths-from-dr-stu-robson/</span></a>
</span></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: "Times New Roman","serif"; font-size: 12pt; line-height: 115%;"><span style="font-family: "Times New Roman","serif"; line-height: 115%;"><span style="font-size: large;">Let's have a little fun now with a couple of quizzes:</span></span></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: "Times New Roman","serif"; font-size: 12pt; line-height: 115%;"><b><i><span style="color: #b45f06;"><span style="font-size: x-large;">Dog Facts</span> <o:p></o:p></span></i></b></span></div>
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<b><i><span style="color: #b45f06;">
<span style="font-family: "Times New Roman","serif"; font-size: 12pt; line-height: 115%;">Test yourself on these dog facts. <o:p></o:p></span></span></i></b></div>
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<b><i><span style="color: #b45f06;">
<span style="font-family: "Times New Roman","serif"; font-size: 12pt; line-height: 115%;">Points available: 10<o:p></o:p></span></span></i></b></div>
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<b><i><span style="color: #b45f06;">
<span style="font-family: "Times New Roman","serif"; font-size: 12pt; line-height: 115%;">1: What is the oldest American bred dog? </span></span></i></b></div>
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<span style="font-family: "Times New Roman","serif"; font-size: 12pt; line-height: 115%;"><b><i><span style="color: #b45f06;">A) Labrador retriever </span></i></b></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: "Times New Roman","serif"; font-size: 12pt; line-height: 115%;"><b><i><span style="color: #b45f06;">B) Golden retriever </span></i></b></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: "Times New Roman","serif"; font-size: 12pt; line-height: 115%;"><b><i><span style="color: #b45f06;">C) Foxhound </span></i></b></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: "Times New Roman","serif"; font-size: 12pt; line-height: 115%;"><b><i><span style="color: #b45f06;">D) Dalmation</span></i></b></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: "Times New Roman","serif"; font-size: 12pt; line-height: 115%;"><b><i><span style="color: #b45f06;">2: It was once common for people's dogs to sleep
under the covers. What was the purpose of this? </span></i></b></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: "Times New Roman","serif"; font-size: 12pt; line-height: 115%;"><b><i><span style="color: #b45f06;">A) To keep warm </span></i></b></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: "Times New Roman","serif"; font-size: 12pt; line-height: 115%;"><b><i><span style="color: #b45f06;">B) So bugs would migrate to the dog instead of the
person </span></i></b></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: "Times New Roman","serif"; font-size: 12pt; line-height: 115%;"><b><i><span style="color: #b45f06;">C) Protection against unwanted visitors in the night
</span></i></b></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: "Times New Roman","serif"; font-size: 12pt; line-height: 115%;"><b><i><span style="color: #b45f06;">D) The dog would lick their owner while sleeping.
This was considered a bath. </span></i></b></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: "Times New Roman","serif"; font-size: 12pt; line-height: 115%;"><b><i><span style="color: #b45f06;">3: Which type of dog has webbed feet? </span></i></b></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: "Times New Roman","serif"; font-size: 12pt; line-height: 115%;"><b><i><span style="color: #b45f06;">A) Bassets </span></i></b></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: "Times New Roman","serif"; font-size: 12pt; line-height: 115%;"><b><i><span style="color: #b45f06;">B) All retrievers </span></i></b></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: "Times New Roman","serif"; font-size: 12pt; line-height: 115%;"><b><i><span style="color: #b45f06;">C) All terriers </span></i></b></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: "Times New Roman","serif"; font-size: 12pt; line-height: 115%;"><b><i><span style="color: #b45f06;">D) Newfoundlands </span></i></b></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: "Times New Roman","serif"; font-size: 12pt; line-height: 115%;"><b><i><span style="color: #b45f06;">4: Which musical artist has not written a song with
the word 'dog' (or some variation of it) in the title?</span></i></b></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: "Times New Roman","serif"; font-size: 12pt; line-height: 115%;"><b><i><span style="color: #b45f06;">A) The Red Hot Chili Peppers </span></i></b></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: "Times New Roman","serif"; font-size: 12pt; line-height: 115%;"><b><i><span style="color: #b45f06;">B) Elvis Presley </span></i></b></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: "Times New Roman","serif"; font-size: 12pt; line-height: 115%;"><b><i><span style="color: #b45f06;">C) The Baha Men </span></i></b></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: "Times New Roman","serif"; font-size: 12pt; line-height: 115%;"><b><i><span style="color: #b45f06;">D) Snoop Dogg </span></i></b></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: "Times New Roman","serif"; font-size: 12pt; line-height: 115%;"><b><i><span style="color: #b45f06;">5: What is a pedigree?</span></i></b></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: "Times New Roman","serif"; font-size: 12pt; line-height: 115%;"><b><i><span style="color: #b45f06;">A) A dog whose ancestors are known </span></i></b></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: "Times New Roman","serif"; font-size: 12pt; line-height: 115%;"><b><i><span style="color: #b45f06;">B) A dog whose ancestors are all the same breed </span></i></b></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: "Times New Roman","serif"; font-size: 12pt; line-height: 115%;"><b><i><span style="color: #b45f06;">C) A dog whose parents are the same breed </span></i></b></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: "Times New Roman","serif"; font-size: 12pt; line-height: 115%;"><b><i><span style="color: #b45f06;">D) A dog with parents of a different breed </span></i></b></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: "Times New Roman","serif"; font-size: 12pt; line-height: 115%;"><b><i><span style="color: #b45f06;">6: Which type of dog is said to be the smartest? </span></i></b></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: "Times New Roman","serif"; font-size: 12pt; line-height: 115%;"><b><i><span style="color: #b45f06;">A) Border Collie </span></i></b></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: "Times New Roman","serif"; font-size: 12pt; line-height: 115%;"><b><i><span style="color: #b45f06;">B) Poodle </span></i></b></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: "Times New Roman","serif"; font-size: 12pt; line-height: 115%;"><b><i><span style="color: #b45f06;">C) Dachshund </span></i></b></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: "Times New Roman","serif"; font-size: 12pt; line-height: 115%;"><b><i><span style="color: #b45f06;">D) Jack Russell Terrier </span></i></b></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: "Times New Roman","serif"; font-size: 12pt; line-height: 115%;"><b><i><span style="color: #b45f06;">7: What breed of dog is guilty of biting humans the
most? </span></i></b></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: "Times New Roman","serif"; font-size: 12pt; line-height: 115%;"><b><i><span style="color: #b45f06;">A) Boxer </span></i></b></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: "Times New Roman","serif"; font-size: 12pt; line-height: 115%;"><b><i><span style="color: #b45f06;">B) Pitbull </span></i></b></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: "Times New Roman","serif"; font-size: 12pt; line-height: 115%;"><b><i><span style="color: #b45f06;">C) German Shepard </span></i></b></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: "Times New Roman","serif"; font-size: 12pt; line-height: 115%;"><b><i><span style="color: #b45f06;">D) Rottweiler </span></i></b></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: "Times New Roman","serif"; font-size: 12pt; line-height: 115%;"><b><i><span style="color: #b45f06;">8: Which dog is a type of hound? </span></i></b></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: "Times New Roman","serif"; font-size: 12pt; line-height: 115%;"><b><i><span style="color: #b45f06;">A) Pembroke Corgi</span></i></b></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: "Times New Roman","serif"; font-size: 12pt; line-height: 115%;"><b><i><span style="color: #b45f06;">B) Beagle</span></i></b></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: "Times New Roman","serif"; font-size: 12pt; line-height: 115%;"><b><i><span style="color: #b45f06;">C) Boxer </span></i></b></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: "Times New Roman","serif"; font-size: 12pt; line-height: 115%;"><b><i><span style="color: #b45f06;">D) Lowchen </span></i></b></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: "Times New Roman","serif"; font-size: 12pt; line-height: 115%;"><b><i><span style="color: #b45f06;">9: Which dog is a type of terrier? </span></i></b></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: "Times New Roman","serif"; font-size: 12pt; line-height: 115%;"><b><i><span style="color: #b45f06;">A) Pekingese </span></i></b></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: "Times New Roman","serif"; font-size: 12pt; line-height: 115%;"><b><i><span style="color: #b45f06;">B) Xoloitzcuintli </span></i></b></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: "Times New Roman","serif"; font-size: 12pt; line-height: 115%;"><b><i><span style="color: #b45f06;">C) Mudi</span></i></b></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: "Times New Roman","serif"; font-size: 12pt; line-height: 115%;"><b><i><span style="color: #b45f06;">D) Billy </span></i></b></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: "Times New Roman","serif"; font-size: 12pt; line-height: 115%;"><b><i><span style="color: #b45f06;">10: What is the most popular breed of dog? </span></i></b></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: "Times New Roman","serif"; font-size: 12pt; line-height: 115%;"><b><i><span style="color: #b45f06;">A) Cocker spaniel </span></i></b></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: "Times New Roman","serif"; font-size: 12pt; line-height: 115%;"><b><i><span style="color: #b45f06;">B) Collie </span></i></b></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: "Times New Roman","serif"; font-size: 12pt; line-height: 115%;"><b><i><span style="color: #b45f06;">C) Golden Retriever </span></i></b></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: "Times New Roman","serif"; font-size: 12pt; line-height: 115%;"><b><i><span style="color: #b45f06;">D) Labrador Retriever </span></i></b></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: "Times New Roman","serif"; font-size: 12pt; line-height: 115%;"><b><i><span style="color: #b45f06;">The answers are: C,B,D,A,A,A,C,B,B,D</span></i></b></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: "Times New Roman","serif"; font-size: 12pt; line-height: 115%;">Adapted from: <a href="http://www.arcamax.com/pets/catsanddogs/q-1042"><span style="font-family: "Times New Roman","serif"; font-size: 12pt; line-height: 115%;"><span style="color: blue;">http://www.arcamax.com/pets/catsanddogs/q-1042</span></span></a><span style="font-family: "Times New Roman","serif"; font-size: 12pt; line-height: 115%;"><o:p></o:p></span></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: "Times New Roman","serif"; font-size: 12pt; line-height: 115%;"><b><i><span style="color: #bf9000;"><span style="font-size: x-large;">Fictional Pets</span> <o:p></o:p></span></i></b></span></div>
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<b><i><span style="color: #bf9000;">
<span style="font-family: "Times New Roman","serif"; font-size: 12pt; line-height: 115%;">Can you tell which of these pets belong to which
fictional people and families? We've given you a hint by telling you what sort
of animal each is -- but we've made it harder by not always telling you what
show they're from! </span></span></i></b></div>
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<span style="font-family: "Times New Roman","serif"; font-size: 12pt; line-height: 115%;"><b><i><span style="color: #bf9000;">Points available: 10</span></i></b></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: "Times New Roman","serif"; font-size: 12pt; line-height: 115%;"><b><i><span style="color: #bf9000;">1: Santa's Little Helper (Dog) </span></i></b></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: "Times New Roman","serif"; font-size: 12pt; line-height: 115%;"><b><i><span style="color: #bf9000;">A) The Simpsons </span></i></b></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: "Times New Roman","serif"; font-size: 12pt; line-height: 115%;"><b><i><span style="color: #bf9000;">B) Inspector Gadget </span></i></b></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: "Times New Roman","serif"; font-size: 12pt; line-height: 115%;"><b><i><span style="color: #bf9000;">C) Dr. Frasier Crane </span></i></b></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: "Times New Roman","serif"; font-size: 12pt; line-height: 115%;"><b><i><span style="color: #bf9000;">D) The Nutmegs </span></i></b></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: "Times New Roman","serif"; font-size: 12pt; line-height: 115%;"><b><i><span style="color: #bf9000;">2: Togo (Dog) </span></i></b></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: "Times New Roman","serif"; font-size: 12pt; line-height: 115%;"><b><i><span style="color: #bf9000;">A) Patty Duke</span></i></b></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: "Times New Roman","serif"; font-size: 12pt; line-height: 115%;"><b><i><span style="color: #bf9000;">B) The Brady Bunch </span></i></b></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: "Times New Roman","serif"; font-size: 12pt; line-height: 115%;"><b><i><span style="color: #bf9000;">C) Nancy Drew </span></i></b></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: "Times New Roman","serif"; font-size: 12pt; line-height: 115%;"><b><i><span style="color: #bf9000;">D) The Jetsons </span></i></b></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: "Times New Roman","serif"; font-size: 12pt; line-height: 115%;"><b><i><span style="color: #bf9000;">3: Brian (Dog) </span></i></b></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: "Times New Roman","serif"; font-size: 12pt; line-height: 115%;"><b><i><span style="color: #bf9000;">A) Dagwood Bumstead </span></i></b></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: "Times New Roman","serif"; font-size: 12pt; line-height: 115%;"></span><span style="font-family: "Times New Roman","serif"; font-size: 12pt; line-height: 115%;"><b><i><span style="color: #bf9000;">B) Peter Griffin </span></i></b></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: "Times New Roman","serif"; font-size: 12pt; line-height: 115%;"><b><i><span style="color: #bf9000;">C) Charlie Brown </span></i></b></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: "Times New Roman","serif"; font-size: 12pt; line-height: 115%;"><b><i><span style="color: #bf9000;">D) The Kerbys </span></i></b></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: "Times New Roman","serif"; font-size: 12pt; line-height: 115%;"><b><i><span style="color: #bf9000;">4: Tornado (Horse) </span></i></b></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: "Times New Roman","serif"; font-size: 12pt; line-height: 115%;"><b><i><span style="color: #bf9000;">A) The Lone Ranger </span></i></b></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: "Times New Roman","serif"; font-size: 12pt; line-height: 115%;"><b><i><span style="color: #bf9000;">B) Zorro </span></i></b></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: "Times New Roman","serif"; font-size: 12pt; line-height: 115%;"><b><i><span style="color: #bf9000;">C) Ken McLaughlin </span></i></b></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: "Times New Roman","serif"; font-size: 12pt; line-height: 115%;"><b><i><span style="color: #bf9000;">D) Joe Talbot </span></i></b></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: "Times New Roman","serif"; font-size: 12pt; line-height: 115%;"><b><i><span style="color: #bf9000;">5: Eddie (Dog) </span></i></b></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: "Times New Roman","serif"; font-size: 12pt; line-height: 115%;"><b><i><span style="color: #bf9000;">A) Punky Brewster </span></i></b></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: "Times New Roman","serif"; font-size: 12pt; line-height: 115%;"><b><i><span style="color: #bf9000;">B) Peter Griffin </span></i></b></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: "Times New Roman","serif"; font-size: 12pt; line-height: 115%;"><b><i><span style="color: #bf9000;">C) Lisa Douglas </span></i></b></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin: 0in 0in 10pt;">
<span style="font-family: "Times New Roman","serif"; font-size: 12pt; line-height: 115%;"><b><i><span style="color: #bf9000;">D) Martin Crane </span></i></b></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin: 0in 0in 10pt;">
<span style="font-family: "Times New Roman","serif"; font-size: 12pt; line-height: 115%;"><b><i><span style="color: #bf9000;">6: Asta (Dog) </span></i></b></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin: 0in 0in 10pt;">
<span style="font-family: "Times New Roman","serif"; font-size: 12pt; line-height: 115%;"><b><i><span style="color: #bf9000;">A) Nick and Nora Charles </span></i></b></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin: 0in 0in 10pt;">
<span style="font-family: "Times New Roman","serif"; font-size: 12pt; line-height: 115%;"><b><i><span style="color: #bf9000;">B) Bertie Wooster </span></i></b></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin: 0in 0in 10pt;">
<span style="font-family: "Times New Roman","serif"; font-size: 12pt; line-height: 115%;"><b><i><span style="color: #bf9000;">C) Corporal Rusty </span></i></b></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin: 0in 0in 10pt;">
<span style="font-family: "Times New Roman","serif"; font-size: 12pt; line-height: 115%;"><b><i><span style="color: #bf9000;">D) Sandy and Porter Ricks </span></i></b></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin: 0in 0in 10pt;">
<span style="font-family: "Times New Roman","serif"; font-size: 12pt; line-height: 115%;"><b><i><span style="color: #bf9000;">7: Mr. Bigglesworth (Cat) </span></i></b></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin: 0in 0in 10pt;">
<span style="font-family: "Times New Roman","serif"; font-size: 12pt; line-height: 115%;"><b><i><span style="color: #bf9000;">A) Dr. Claw </span></i></b></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin: 0in 0in 10pt;">
<span style="font-family: "Times New Roman","serif"; font-size: 12pt; line-height: 115%;"><b><i><span style="color: #bf9000;">B) Baron Greenback </span></i></b></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin: 0in 0in 10pt;">
<span style="font-family: "Times New Roman","serif"; font-size: 12pt; line-height: 115%;"><b><i><span style="color: #bf9000;">C) Dr. Evil </span></i></b></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin: 0in 0in 10pt;">
<span style="font-family: "Times New Roman","serif"; font-size: 12pt; line-height: 115%;"><b><i><span style="color: #bf9000;">D) Mr. Midnight </span></i></b></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin: 0in 0in 10pt;">
<span style="font-family: "Times New Roman","serif"; font-size: 12pt; line-height: 115%;"><b><i><span style="color: #bf9000;">8: Ruff (Dog) </span></i></b></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin: 0in 0in 10pt;">
<span style="font-family: "Times New Roman","serif"; font-size: 12pt; line-height: 115%;"><b><i><span style="color: #bf9000;">A) "Dirty Harry" Callahan </span></i></b></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin: 0in 0in 10pt;">
<span style="font-family: "Times New Roman","serif"; font-size: 12pt; line-height: 115%;"><b><i><span style="color: #bf9000;">B) Opie </span></i></b></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin: 0in 0in 10pt;">
<span style="font-family: "Times New Roman","serif"; font-size: 12pt; line-height: 115%;"><b><i><span style="color: #bf9000;">C) Dennis the Menace </span></i></b></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin: 0in 0in 10pt;">
<span style="font-family: "Times New Roman","serif"; font-size: 12pt; line-height: 115%;"><b><i><span style="color: #bf9000;">D) Patty Duke </span></i></b></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin: 0in 0in 10pt;">
<span style="font-family: "Times New Roman","serif"; font-size: 12pt; line-height: 115%;"><b><i><span style="color: #bf9000;">9: Daisy (Dog) </span></i></b></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin: 0in 0in 10pt;">
<span style="font-family: "Times New Roman","serif"; font-size: 12pt; line-height: 115%;"><b><i><span style="color: #bf9000;">A) Dagwood Bumstead </span></i></b></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin: 0in 0in 10pt;">
<span style="font-family: "Times New Roman","serif"; font-size: 12pt; line-height: 115%;"><b><i><span style="color: #bf9000;">B) Opie </span></i></b></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin: 0in 0in 10pt;">
<span style="font-family: "Times New Roman","serif"; font-size: 12pt; line-height: 115%;"><b><i><span style="color: #bf9000;">C) Richie Cunningham </span></i></b></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin: 0in 0in 10pt;">
<span style="font-family: "Times New Roman","serif"; font-size: 12pt; line-height: 115%;"><b><i><span style="color: #bf9000;">D) Nancy Drew </span></i></b></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin: 0in 0in 10pt;">
<span style="font-family: "Times New Roman","serif"; font-size: 12pt; line-height: 115%;"><b><i><span style="color: #bf9000;">10: Brain the Wonder Dog </span></i></b></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin: 0in 0in 10pt;">
<span style="font-family: "Times New Roman","serif"; font-size: 12pt; line-height: 115%;"><b><i><span style="color: #bf9000;">A) Punky Brewster </span></i></b></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin: 0in 0in 10pt;">
<span style="font-family: "Times New Roman","serif"; font-size: 12pt; line-height: 115%;"><b><i><span style="color: #bf9000;">B) Inspector Gadget </span></i></b></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin: 0in 0in 10pt;">
<span style="font-family: "Times New Roman","serif"; font-size: 12pt; line-height: 115%;"><b><i><span style="color: #bf9000;">C) The Jetsons</span></i></b></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin: 0in 0in 10pt;">
<span style="font-family: "Times New Roman","serif"; font-size: 12pt; line-height: 115%;"><b><i><span style="color: #bf9000;">D) Linus Van Pelt </span></i></b></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin: 0in 0in 10pt;">
<span style="font-family: "Times New Roman","serif"; font-size: 12pt; line-height: 115%;"><b><i><span style="color: #bf9000;">The answers are: A,C,B,B,D,A,C,C,A,B</span></i></b></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin: 0in 0in 10pt;">
<span style="font-family: "Times New Roman","serif"; font-size: 12pt; line-height: 115%;">Adapted from: <a href="http://www.arcamax.com/pets/catsanddogs/q-1211"><span style="font-family: "Times New Roman","serif"; font-size: 12pt; line-height: 115%;"><span style="color: blue;">http://www.arcamax.com/pets/catsanddogs/q-1211</span></span></a><span style="font-family: "Times New Roman","serif"; font-size: 12pt; line-height: 115%;">
</span></span><br />
<br />
OK, that's enough head scratching for this week! Hope you appreciated the review and some hitherto new information. Stay tuned for next week's conclusion....<br />
<br />
Just a reminder that you can submit questions or comments to <a href="mailto:dogcatvethelp@gmail.com">dogcatvethelp@gmail.com</a> or at the Comments section at the end of this issue. Also, if you want to look up a particular topic in the "table of contents" of <strong><span style="color: #990000;">Questions On Dogs and Cats</span></strong>, use the "Labels" section which is located along the left side of every issue.<br />
<br />
<span style="font-size: x-large;"><b>SPORTS NEWS<span style="font-size: small;"> </span></b></span><br />
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj1lC1mNTfSRidiajYcqvBjILMfdbjWzcSAES4tOliip8VKJHpvMo_qQWIRu0ApYY1Wue5PZrX2rSdn0UrTvhOcBwnNTd6PnrtE9ZetXgYmUjbNOju59n18FsywZ1QGxVPsKzhfcThAHMo/s1600/sports+balls.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj1lC1mNTfSRidiajYcqvBjILMfdbjWzcSAES4tOliip8VKJHpvMo_qQWIRu0ApYY1Wue5PZrX2rSdn0UrTvhOcBwnNTd6PnrtE9ZetXgYmUjbNOju59n18FsywZ1QGxVPsKzhfcThAHMo/s1600/sports+balls.jpg" /></a></div>
<span style="font-size: x-large;"><span style="font-size: small;">The <span style="background-color: #cccccc;"><span style="color: #990000;"><b>Ohio State Buckeyes</b></span></span> hosted the last undefeated te<span style="font-size: small;">am in the country, #2 Michigan, and beat them today. <span style="font-size: small;">I</span>t's always good to beat Michigan</span></span><b><span style="font-size: small;">, </span></b><span style="font-size: small;">but even more so when they are unbeaten! This win keeps us among the early leaders in the conference.</span></span><br />
<b></b><br />
<b></b><br />
<b><span style="font-size: x-large;">PERSONAL STUFF<span style="font-size: small;"> </span></span></b><br />
<br />
<b style="mso-bidi-font-weight: normal;"><i>“Nature does not equally distribute
energy. Some people are born old and tired while others are going strong at
70."</i>--</b><span style="mso-bidi-font-weight: normal;">Dorothy Thompson, American journalist and radio broadcaster</span></div>
</span><div class="MsoNormal" style="margin: 0in 0in 10pt;">
...where do you fit in?</div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin: 0in 0in 10pt;">
<b style="mso-bidi-font-weight: normal;">"Yesterday is history,</b><br />
<b style="mso-bidi-font-weight: normal;"><span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"></span>Tomorrow is a mystery,</b><br />
<b style="mso-bidi-font-weight: normal;"><span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>Today is a gift ...</b>
<br />
<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"></span><strong>That's why they call it the present." </strong><span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"><strong> </strong>From</span><span style="mso-bidi-font-weight: normal;"> : Eleanor Roosevelt</span><br />
<br />
<span style="mso-bidi-font-weight: normal;">
</span><br />
<div class="MsoNormal">
<em><span style="color: black;">~~The goal of this blog is to
provide general information and advice to help you be a better pet owner and to
have a more rewarding relationship with your pet. This blog does not intend to
replace the professional one-on-one care your pet receives from a practicing
veterinarian. When in doubt about your pet's health, always visit a
veterinarian.~~</span></em></div>
<br />
<br /></div>
Helpful Buckeyehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/18134633849820948837noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-16663019142577616.post-14324413962266802102013-01-07T09:40:00.000-07:002013-01-09T06:45:39.449-07:00SECOND HAND SMOKE...SHOULD I BE CONCERNED?<span style="font-family: "Times New Roman","serif"; font-size: large;">OK, the snafu for publishing the blog has been remedied...for now. Let's see if this gets everybody caught up and on the same page!</span><br />
<br />
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgQ-tlPEdA2aN9rN48Zqplr6Y9-GyAM_H7Ts3EWsGddMfm3ir0Aur0HpzvsgGaFAgrys8gEX3aMoUdr2nvrOaWpNb7gFUQFPpb-jlPzByoke9vW1XQO9bNBgb4D2hyu-J0YkZkhW1SOUTI/s1600/Dog+and+Smoke.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgQ-tlPEdA2aN9rN48Zqplr6Y9-GyAM_H7Ts3EWsGddMfm3ir0Aur0HpzvsgGaFAgrys8gEX3aMoUdr2nvrOaWpNb7gFUQFPpb-jlPzByoke9vW1XQO9bNBgb4D2hyu-J0YkZkhW1SOUTI/s1600/Dog+and+Smoke.jpg" /></a></div>
<br />
<span style="font-family: Times, "Times New Roman", serif; font-size: large;">The topics of smoking and second hand smoke still make appearances from time to time in the popular new media and various professional publications. Helpful Buckeye suspects that we will probably reach a lower end of the smoking population that will represent that portion below which not much change will be seen. If those people opt to remain in that group, that's pretty much their decision to live with. However, with increasing awareness of the inherent dangers of second hand smoke (both short term and long term), it becomes a greater responsibility for smokers to be considerate of non-smokers around them as well as any pets who might suffer from their proximity.</span><br />
<br />
<br />
<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin: 0in 0in 10pt; text-align: center;">
<span style="font-family: "Times New Roman","serif"; font-size: 12pt; line-height: 115%;"><b><i><span style="font-size: x-large;"><span style="color: #990000;">Secondhand smoke increases risk of pet getting</span></span></i></b></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin: 0in 0in 10pt; text-align: center;">
<span style="font-family: "Times New Roman","serif"; font-size: 12pt; line-height: 115%;"><b><i><span style="font-size: x-large;"><span style="color: #990000;">
cancer<o:p></o:p></span></span></i></b></span></div>
<br />
<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin: 0in 0in 10pt;">
<span style="font-family: "Times New Roman","serif"; font-size: 12pt; line-height: 115%;"><b><i><span style="color: #990000;">Dear Christopher Cat: My veterinarian claimed she
smelled cigarette smoke on my cat's fur, and she recommended I quit smoking or
smoke outdoors. She said my smoking would give my cat cancer, but she strikes
me as a nonsmoking zealot on a mission. What are the facts?</span></i></b></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin: 0in 0in 10pt;">
<span style="font-family: "Times New Roman","serif"; font-size: 12pt; line-height: 115%;"><b><i><span style="color: #990000;"><span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>Christopher
responds: Research results support your vet's recommendation.</span></i></b></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin: 0in 0in 10pt;">
<span style="font-family: "Times New Roman","serif"; font-size: 12pt; line-height: 115%;"><b><i><span style="color: #990000;"><span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>When you
smoke, most of the cigarette's toxins settle on the furniture and the floor.
When your cat dozes there, the toxins cling to her fur.</span></i></b></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin: 0in 0in 10pt;">
<span style="font-family: "Times New Roman","serif"; font-size: 12pt; line-height: 115%;"><b><i><span style="color: #990000;"><span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>Thus, she
ingests the toxins when she grooms herself, and she also inhales them in the
secondhand smoke. To make matters worse, your cat undoubtedly spends all her
time in your smoky home, whereas you probably get away for hours at a time.</span></i></b></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin: 0in 0in 10pt;">
<span style="font-family: "Times New Roman","serif"; font-size: 12pt; line-height: 115%;"><b><i><span style="color: #990000;"><span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>Studies have
shown that cats who live with a smoker are twice as likely to develop squamous
cell carcinoma of the mouth or throat and 2.4 times more likely to develop
lymphoma (also called lymphosarcoma) anywhere in the body than cats who live in
a smoke-free home.</span></i></b></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin: 0in 0in 10pt;">
<span style="font-family: "Times New Roman","serif"; font-size: 12pt; line-height: 115%;"><b><i><span style="color: #990000;"><span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>If you live
with someone who smokes, your cat's risk of lymphoma increases to 4.1 times
normal. <o:p></o:p></span></i></b></span></div>
<b><i><span style="color: #990000;">
<span style="font-family: "Times New Roman","serif"; font-size: 12pt; line-height: 115%; mso-ansi-language: EN-US; mso-bidi-language: AR-SA; mso-fareast-font-family: Calibri; mso-fareast-language: EN-US; mso-fareast-theme-font: minor-latin;"><span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>You already know that smoking increases your
own risk of disease and makes your clothing and hair smell bad. So give
yourself the gift of fresh air and thank your veterinarian for helping both you
and your cat get healthy.</span></span></i></b><br />
<b><i><span style="color: #990000;"><span style="font-family: "Times New Roman","serif"; font-size: 12pt; line-height: 115%; mso-ansi-language: EN-US; mso-bidi-language: AR-SA; mso-fareast-font-family: Calibri; mso-fareast-language: EN-US; mso-fareast-theme-font: minor-latin;"></span></span></i></b><br />
<span style="font-family: "Times New Roman","serif"; font-size: 12pt; line-height: 115%; mso-ansi-language: EN-US; mso-bidi-language: AR-SA; mso-fareast-font-family: Calibri; mso-fareast-language: EN-US; mso-fareast-theme-font: minor-latin;"><span style="color: black;">Adapted from:<b><i> </i></b><span style="font-family: "Times New Roman","serif"; font-size: 12pt; line-height: 115%; mso-ansi-language: EN-US; mso-bidi-language: AR-SA; mso-fareast-font-family: Calibri; mso-fareast-language: EN-US; mso-fareast-theme-font: minor-latin;"><a href="http://readingeagle.com/article.aspx?id=358929"><span style="color: blue;">http://readingeagle.com/article.aspx?id=358929</span></a></span></span></span><br />
<span style="color: black;"></span><br />
<span style="color: black;"></span><br />
<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin: 0in 0in 10pt; text-align: center;">
<span style="color: black;"><span style="font-family: "Times New Roman","serif"; font-size: 12pt; line-height: 115%;"><b><i><span style="font-size: x-large;"><span style="color: #990000;">Secondhand smoke is harming pets<o:p></o:p></span></span></i></b></span></span></div>
<span style="color: black;">
<br />
</span><br />
<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin: 0in 0in 10pt;">
<span style="color: black;"><span style="font-family: "Times New Roman","serif"; font-size: 12pt; line-height: 115%;">By Bryon Saxton</span></span></div>
<span style="color: black;">
</span>
<br />
<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin: 0in 0in 10pt;">
<span style="color: black;"><span style="font-family: "Times New Roman","serif"; font-size: 12pt; line-height: 115%;"><b><i><span style="color: #990000;">If Spot could speak, he might tell his owners — if
they smoked — that all that secondhand smoke is “ruff” on the both of them.</span></i></b></span></span></div>
<span style="color: black;">
</span><br />
<span style="color: black;"></span><br />
<span style="color: black;"></span><br />
<span style="color: black;"><div class="MsoNormal" style="margin: 0in 0in 10pt;">
<span style="font-family: "Times New Roman","serif"; font-size: 12pt; line-height: 115%;"><b><i><span style="color: #990000;">A Davis County Health Department educator and a
nationally recognized Davis County veterinarian, after reviewing information
from recent veterinary studies, contend secondhand smoke has serious effects on
pets in the household.</span></i></b></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin: 0in 0in 10pt;">
<span style="font-family: "Times New Roman","serif"; font-size: 12pt; line-height: 115%;"><b><i><span style="color: #990000;">They hope that educating pet owners who smoke about
the dangers of secondhand smoke and the risk it poses to their pets will
encourage them to quit smoking.</span></i></b></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin: 0in 0in 10pt;">
<span style="font-family: "Times New Roman","serif"; font-size: 12pt; line-height: 115%;"><b><i><span style="color: #990000;">Studies show nearly 30 percent of pet owners who
smoke would try to quit if they learned secondhand smoke could harm their pets,
while fewer than 2 percent would quit smoking for the sake of their children,
according to Gloria Yugel, a community health educator with the Davis County
Health Department.</span></i></b></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin: 0in 0in 10pt;">
<span style="font-family: "Times New Roman","serif"; font-size: 12pt; line-height: 115%;"><b><i><span style="color: #990000;">“Secondhand smoke is just as damaging to your pet’s
health as it is to a human’s health,” Yugel said. “Exposure to secondhand smoke
has been associated with allergies in dogs, eye and skin diseases in birds,
lymph gland and oral cancers in cats, nasal and lung cancer in dogs, and
respiratory problems in both cats and dogs.” </span></i></b></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin: 0in 0in 10pt;">
<span style="font-family: "Times New Roman","serif"; font-size: 12pt; line-height: 115%;"><b><i><span style="color: #990000;">Other pets such as rabbits, guinea pigs, or any bird
species also are vulnerable to the dangers of secondhand smoke inhalation,
Yugel said.</span></i></b></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin: 0in 0in 10pt;">
<span style="font-family: "Times New Roman","serif"; font-size: 12pt; line-height: 115%;"><b><i><span style="color: #990000;">A recent study by U.S. veterinarians concluded that
cats whose owners smoked were prone to feline lymphoma, a form of cancer that
kills three out of four cats within a year of diagnosis, Yugel said.</span></i></b></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin: 0in 0in 10pt;">
<span style="font-family: "Times New Roman","serif"; font-size: 12pt; line-height: 115%;"><b><i><span style="color: #990000;">Researchers found that such cats were twice as
likely to develop the disease when compared to cats with nonsmoking owners, she
said.</span></i></b></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin: 0in 0in 10pt;">
<span style="font-family: "Times New Roman","serif"; font-size: 12pt; line-height: 115%;"><b><i><span style="color: #990000;">It also was revealed that if two people living in
the house smoke, the risk for the cat to get cancer is four times greater,
Yugel said.</span></i></b></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin: 0in 0in 10pt;">
<span style="font-family: "Times New Roman","serif"; font-size: 12pt; line-height: 115%;"><b><i><span style="color: #990000;">Dogs are similarly endangered by secondhand smoke.</span></i></b></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin: 0in 0in 10pt;">
<span style="font-family: "Times New Roman","serif"; font-size: 12pt; line-height: 115%;"><b><i><span style="color: #990000;">“Researchers have established that the development
of canine asthma, as well as nasal and lung cancer, may be prompted by exposure
to secondhand smoke,” Yugel said.</span></i></b></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin: 0in 0in 10pt;">
<span style="font-family: "Times New Roman","serif"; font-size: 12pt; line-height: 115%;"><b><i><span style="color: #990000;">“People need to be aware that domesticated pets used
to live in the wild, and they relied on their heightened sense of smell to
survive. Because of this, their nasal membranes are much more sensitive than
humans’ membranes,” said Clayne R. White, a veterinarian at Bayview Animal
Hospital in Farmington.</span></i></b></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin: 0in 0in 10pt;">
<span style="font-family: "Times New Roman","serif"; font-size: 12pt; line-height: 115%;"><b><i><span style="color: #990000;">“Asthma in cats is already a common ailment. We have
found that if a cat lives in a home where someone smokes, the cat’s chances of
developing asthma are 10 times greater than in a nonsmoking household,” said
White, who gained national notoriety in 2010 when he took two white Bengal
tiger cubs into his Kaysville home after they had been abandoned by their
mother in captivity at the Lagoon zoo.</span></i></b></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin: 0in 0in 10pt;">
<span style="font-family: "Times New Roman","serif"; font-size: 12pt; line-height: 115%;"><b><i><span style="color: #990000;">“Also, dogs are at risk. So, if someone in your
household smokes,” White said, “watch out for your dog coughing, wheezing or
having difficulties breathing.”</span></i></b></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: "Times New Roman","serif"; font-size: 12pt; line-height: 115%;"><b><i><span style="color: #990000;">Secondhand smoke is particularly dangerous for
puppies when they have weaker immune systems, making them more susceptible to
infection, White said.<o:p></o:p></span></i></b></span></div>
<b><i><span style="color: #990000;">
</span></i></b><span style="font-family: "Times New Roman","serif"; font-size: 12pt; line-height: 115%; mso-ansi-language: EN-US; mso-bidi-language: AR-SA; mso-fareast-font-family: Calibri; mso-fareast-language: EN-US; mso-fareast-theme-font: minor-latin;"><b><i><span style="color: #990000;">For those interested
in free, effective smoking cessation resources, call the Utah Tobacco Quit Line
at 1-800-Quit.Now or visit</span></i></b> <a href="http://www.utahquitnet.com/"><span style="color: blue;">www.utahquitnet.com</span></a>.</span><br />
<span style="font-family: "Times New Roman","serif"; font-size: 12pt; line-height: 115%; mso-ansi-language: EN-US; mso-bidi-language: AR-SA; mso-fareast-font-family: Calibri; mso-fareast-language: EN-US; mso-fareast-theme-font: minor-latin;"></span><br />
<span style="font-family: "Times New Roman","serif"; font-size: 12pt; line-height: 115%; mso-ansi-language: EN-US; mso-bidi-language: AR-SA; mso-fareast-font-family: Calibri; mso-fareast-language: EN-US; mso-fareast-theme-font: minor-latin;">Adapted from: <span style="font-family: "Times New Roman","serif"; font-size: 12pt; line-height: 115%; mso-ansi-language: EN-US; mso-bidi-language: AR-SA; mso-fareast-font-family: Calibri; mso-fareast-language: EN-US; mso-fareast-theme-font: minor-latin;"><a href="http://www.standard.net/stories/2011/12/20/secondhand-smoke-harming-pets"><span style="color: blue;">http://www.standard.net/stories/2011/12/20/secondhand-smoke-harming-pets</span></a></span></span><br />
<span style="font-family: "Times New Roman","serif"; font-size: 12pt; line-height: 115%; mso-ansi-language: EN-US; mso-bidi-language: AR-SA; mso-fareast-font-family: Calibri; mso-fareast-language: EN-US; mso-fareast-theme-font: minor-latin;"><span style="font-family: "Times New Roman","serif"; font-size: 12pt; line-height: 115%; mso-ansi-language: EN-US; mso-bidi-language: AR-SA; mso-fareast-font-family: Calibri; mso-fareast-language: EN-US; mso-fareast-theme-font: minor-latin;"></span></span><br />
<span style="font-family: "Times New Roman","serif"; font-size: 12pt; line-height: 115%; mso-ansi-language: EN-US; mso-bidi-language: AR-SA; mso-fareast-font-family: Calibri; mso-fareast-language: EN-US; mso-fareast-theme-font: minor-latin;"><span style="font-family: "Times New Roman","serif"; font-size: 12pt; line-height: 115%; mso-ansi-language: EN-US; mso-bidi-language: AR-SA; mso-fareast-font-family: Calibri; mso-fareast-language: EN-US; mso-fareast-theme-font: minor-latin;">
</span></span><br />
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<span style="font-family: "Times New Roman","serif"; font-size: 12pt; line-height: 115%;"><b><i><span style="color: #990000; font-size: x-large;">Smoking Endangers Animals Too</span></i></b> <o:p></o:p></span></div>
<br />
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<span style="font-family: "Times New Roman","serif"; font-size: 12pt; line-height: 115%;"><b><i><span style="color: #990000;">Smoking isn’t just bad for people; it harms our
animal friends as well. Researchers at the University of Massachusetts and
Tufts University School of Veterinary Medicine have found that cats who live
with smokers are more than twice as likely to suffer from feline lymphoma, and
population studies suggest that environmental smoke may increase the risk of
nasal and lung cancer in dogs. If that doesn’t prompt smokers with animal
companions to quit, I don’t know what will. </span></i></b></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin: 0in 0in 10pt;">
<span style="font-family: "Times New Roman","serif"; font-size: 12pt; line-height: 115%;"><b><i><span style="color: #990000;">Fortunately, a study conducted by the Henry Ford
Health System Center for Health Promotion and Disease Prevention suggests that
many smokers with animal companions would butt out cigarettes if they knew that
they were putting their dog’s or cat’s health at risk. </span></i></b></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin: 0in 0in 10pt;">
<span style="font-family: "Times New Roman","serif"; font-size: 12pt; line-height: 115%;"><b><i><span style="color: #990000;">Nearly 3,300 people participated in an online survey
aimed at determining if smokers would change their behavior if they knew that
it harmed their animal’s health. One in five of the people who took the survey
smoked, and more than one in four lived with a smoker. Of the smokers, one in
three said that knowing that smoking was bad for their animal’s health would
compel them to kick the habit. Nearly one in 10 people would ask a partner to
quit, and one in seven would ask their partner to smoke outside. </span></i></b></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin: 0in 0in 10pt;">
<span style="font-family: "Times New Roman","serif"; font-size: 12pt; line-height: 115%;"><b><i><span style="color: #990000;">It’s a start, at least. No one should put their best
buddy’s health in danger—ever. If you care about animals, you really need to
stop smoking, pronto. Do it for yourself, all your loved ones, and animals in
laboratories too.</span></i></b></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin: 0in 0in 10pt;">
<span style="font-family: "Times New Roman","serif"; font-size: 12pt; line-height: 115%;"><span style="color: black;">Adapted from: <span style="font-family: "Times New Roman","serif"; font-size: 12pt; line-height: 115%;"><a href="http://www.divinecaroline.com/35/77498-smoking-endangers-animals-too"><span style="color: blue;">http://www.divinecaroline.com/35/77498-smoking-endangers-animals-too</span></a></span></span></span><br />
<br />
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj40HB79Aik6U46_KyVegIxWO0wjy0mNSmpxTupUOeksjFsWtiJbtnjDdTBLZvqZwrk1upedbm2UZCDdazzt0utAyMUpyoCk7R8cb1rBr_ewuehlw944VYX9k5MW3-LpOm2__gL5iukMrk/s1600/Pets+Against+Smoking.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj40HB79Aik6U46_KyVegIxWO0wjy0mNSmpxTupUOeksjFsWtiJbtnjDdTBLZvqZwrk1upedbm2UZCDdazzt0utAyMUpyoCk7R8cb1rBr_ewuehlw944VYX9k5MW3-LpOm2__gL5iukMrk/s1600/Pets+Against+Smoking.jpg" /></a></div>
<span style="font-family: "Times New Roman","serif"; font-size: 12pt; line-height: 115%;"><span style="color: black;"><span style="font-family: "Times New Roman","serif"; font-size: 12pt; line-height: 115%;"><span style="color: blue;"> </span>
</span></span></span></div>
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</div>
<span style="color: black;"><div class="MsoNormal" style="margin: 0in 0in 10pt; text-align: center;">
<span style="font-family: "Times New Roman","serif"; font-size: 12pt; line-height: 115%;"><b><i><span style="font-size: x-large;"><span style="color: #990000;">The dogs forced to “smoke” up to 15 cigarettes a</span></span></i></b></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin: 0in 0in 10pt; text-align: center;">
<span style="font-family: "Times New Roman","serif"; font-size: 12pt; line-height: 115%;"><b><i><span style="font-size: x-large;"><span style="color: #990000;"> day<o:p></o:p></span></span></i></b></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin: 0in 0in 10pt;">
<span style="font-family: "Times New Roman","serif"; font-size: 12pt; line-height: 115%;"><b><i><span style="color: #990000;">PET dogs are forced to inhale the equivalent of up
to 15 cigarettes a day by owners with a regular nicotine habit, Scottish
scientists have discovered. </span></i></b></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin: 0in 0in 10pt;">
<span style="font-family: "Times New Roman","serif"; font-size: 12pt; line-height: 115%;"><b><i><span style="color: #990000;">Research at the University of Glasgow found high
levels of nicotine in the hair of pets living in households with smokers . </span></i></b></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin: 0in 0in 10pt;">
<span style="font-family: "Times New Roman","serif"; font-size: 12pt; line-height: 115%;"><b><i><span style="color: #990000;">The team say exposure to cigarette smoke is almost
certain to result in an increased chance pet dogs will suffer cancer or other
serious conditions. </span></i></b></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin: 0in 0in 10pt;">
<span style="font-family: "Times New Roman","serif"; font-size: 12pt; line-height: 115%;"><b><i><span style="color: #990000;">Around one in four dogs is struck down by cancer and
vets say it does not even occur to many smokers they are putting their pets at
risk.</span></i></b></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: "Times New Roman","serif"; font-size: 12pt; line-height: 115%;"><b><i><span style="color: #990000;">Aiko, fitted with a special sensor, who is taking
part in a Glasgow University study to measure dogs’ exposure to cigarette
smoke.</span></i></b></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin: 0in 0in 10pt;">
<span style="font-family: "Times New Roman","serif"; font-size: 12pt; line-height: 115%;"><b><i><span style="color: #990000;">The Glasgow researchers closely examined the coats
of 38 dogs – 23 of which had been had been exposed to “environmental tobacco
smoke”. </span></i></b></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin: 0in 0in 10pt;">
<span style="font-family: "Times New Roman","serif"; font-size: 12pt; line-height: 115%;"><b><i><span style="color: #990000;">Sixteen pets had been exposed to tobacco smoke
regularly, through close contact with smoking owners, in their home, during car
travel, or outdoors. </span></i></b></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: "Times New Roman","serif"; font-size: 12pt; line-height: 115%;"><b><i><span style="color: #990000;">The amount of nicotine in these dogs’ coats – a
reliable indicator of their exposure to cigarette smoke – ranged from 1mg to
11.3mg. </span></i></b></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin: 0in 0in 10pt;">
<span style="font-family: "Times New Roman","serif"; font-size: 12pt; line-height: 115%;"><b><i><span style="color: #990000;">The higher figure is the equivalent of directly
smoking up to 15 cigarettes a day, according to Professor Claire Knottenbelt,
who led the study.</span></i></b></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin: 0in 0in 10pt;">
<span style="font-family: "Times New Roman","serif"; font-size: 12pt; line-height: 115%;"><b><i><span style="color: #990000;">She said the research proved without a doubt that
carcinogens would have passed into the dogs – and statistically almost
certainly increase their risk of cancer. </span></i></b></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin: 0in 0in 10pt;">
<span style="font-family: "Times New Roman","serif"; font-size: 12pt; line-height: 115%;"><b><i><span style="color: #990000;">The Professor of Small Animal Medicine and Oncology
at Glasgow University said: “An average dog, regularly exposed, smokes between
one cigarette per day and one cigarette per week depending on coat variables."</span></i></b></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin: 0in 0in 10pt;">
<span style="font-family: "Times New Roman","serif"; font-size: 12pt; line-height: 115%;"><b><i><span style="color: #990000;">“A dog with 11mg smoked about 11-15 cigarettes per
day.” </span></i></b></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin: 0in 0in 10pt;">
<span style="font-family: "Times New Roman","serif"; font-size: 12pt; line-height: 115%;"><b><i><span style="color: #990000;">She added: “In non-smoking environments, the amount
of nicotine to hair concentration was generally low, or zero. </span></i></b></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin: 0in 0in 10pt;">
<span style="font-family: "Times New Roman","serif"; font-size: 12pt; line-height: 115%;"><b><i><span style="color: #990000;">“With dogs that had been exposed to cigarette smoke,
it was very high and comparable to children in a passive-smoking environment.</span></i></b></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin: 0in 0in 10pt;">
<span style="font-family: "Times New Roman","serif"; font-size: 12pt; line-height: 115%;"><b><i><span style="color: #990000;">Prof Knottenbelt: Some owners who smoke do not
associate their pet’s cancer with exposure to cigarettes. </span></i></b></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin: 0in 0in 10pt;">
<span style="font-family: "Times New Roman","serif"; font-size: 12pt; line-height: 115%;"><b><i><span style="color: #990000;">“There has been a very big drive to link a
children’s exposure to smoke in the house, but with dogs, people don’t think
about it. </span></i></b></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin: 0in 0in 10pt;">
<span style="font-family: "Times New Roman","serif"; font-size: 12pt; line-height: 115%;"><b><i><span style="color: #990000;">“They love their pets – in some cases more than they
love their children – but they don’t stop and think.” </span></i></b></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin: 0in 0in 10pt;">
<span style="font-family: "Times New Roman","serif"; font-size: 12pt; line-height: 115%;"><b><i><span style="color: #990000;">The professor, who regularly treats dogs with
cancer, said: “People will often bring their pets in, smelling of smoke, and
they are still not making the link with smoking. </span></i></b></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin: 0in 0in 10pt;">
<span style="font-family: "Times New Roman","serif"; font-size: 12pt; line-height: 115%;"><b><i><span style="color: #990000;">“We don’t want people to feel guilty but it’s my
hope that people seeing there pet when it’s unwell that they will hopefully
look at their own smoking habits and it may encourage them to stop.” </span></i></b></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin: 0in 0in 10pt;">
<span style="font-family: "Times New Roman","serif"; font-size: 12pt; line-height: 115%;"><b><i><span style="color: #990000;">There are at least half a million dogs in Scotland,
and one in four will suffer from cancer.</span></i></b></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: "Times New Roman","serif"; font-size: 12pt; line-height: 115%;"><b><i><span style="color: #990000;">Symptoms of lung cancer – which has a 50% survival
rate in canines – include lethargy, weight loss, a chronic cough, lameness and
difficulty breathing. </span></i></b></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: "Times New Roman","serif"; font-size: 12pt; line-height: 115%;"><b><i><span style="color: #990000;">It is amongst the most expensive cancer treatment
for dogs, and can cost owners up to £4,000 to treat. </span></i></b></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin: 0in 0in 10pt;">
<span style="font-family: "Times New Roman","serif"; font-size: 12pt; line-height: 115%;"><b><i><span style="color: #990000;">Many vets are likely to suggest putting down dogs in
these circumstances because of the enormous cost of treatment.</span></i></b></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin: 0in 0in 10pt;">
<span style="font-family: "Times New Roman","serif"; font-size: 12pt; line-height: 115%;"><b><i><span style="color: #990000;">A tumour in a dog’s nose. A quarter of dogs get
cancer but how many cases are caused by cigarette smoke? </span></i></b></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin: 0in 0in 10pt;">
<span style="font-family: "Times New Roman","serif"; font-size: 12pt; line-height: 115%;"><b><i><span style="color: #990000;">The Glasgow study, carried out in conjunction with
the British Small Animal Veterinary Association’s Petsavers Charity, and animal
charity PDSA, is just the first step. </span></i></b></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin: 0in 0in 10pt;">
<span style="font-family: "Times New Roman","serif"; font-size: 12pt; line-height: 115%;"><b><i><span style="color: #990000;">Prof Knottenbelt is planning research which aims
precisely to measure the amount and type of carcinogens<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>inhaled by the pet dogs of smokers. </span></i></b></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin: 0in 0in 10pt;">
<span style="font-family: "Times New Roman","serif"; font-size: 12pt; line-height: 115%;"><b><i><span style="color: #990000;">Researchers will attach a backpack device to the
pets, provided by volunteer owners, which will monitor chemicals in the
immediate environment. </span></i></b></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin: 0in 0in 10pt;">
<span style="font-family: "Times New Roman","serif"; font-size: 12pt; line-height: 115%;"><b><i><span style="color: #990000;">She added: “I think the results of the preliminary
study probably underestimates how affected dogs are by passive smoking. </span></i></b></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin: 0in 0in 10pt;">
<span style="font-family: "Times New Roman","serif"; font-size: 12pt; line-height: 115%;"></span><span style="font-family: "Times New Roman","serif"; font-size: 12pt; line-height: 115%;"><b><i><span style="color: #990000;">“The backpack study will look at what is in the air
around the dog. Nicotine is a marker, this will tell us how many nasty
carcinogens the dogs are being exposed to.” </span></i></b></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin: 0in 0in 10pt;">
<span style="font-family: "Times New Roman","serif"; font-size: 12pt; line-height: 115%;"><b><i><span style="color: #990000;">Libby Anderson, of animal charity OneKind, said:
“OneKind welcomes the research by Glasgow as a significant step towards
protecting animals and people from suffering a preventable disease. </span></i></b></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin: 0in 0in 10pt;">
<span style="font-family: "Times New Roman","serif"; font-size: 12pt; line-height: 115%;"><b><i><span style="color: #990000;">“It also underlines the close and complex
relationship between families and their pets – and if people give up smoking
because they care about their pets, that’s a very good thing.”</span></i></b></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin: 0in 0in 10pt;">
<span style="font-family: "Times New Roman","serif"; font-size: 12pt; line-height: 115%;"><span style="color: #990000;"><span style="color: black;">Adapted from:</span><b><i> </i></b><span style="font-family: "Times New Roman","serif"; font-size: 12pt; line-height: 115%; mso-ansi-language: EN-US; mso-bidi-language: AR-SA; mso-fareast-font-family: Calibri; mso-fareast-language: EN-US; mso-fareast-theme-font: minor-latin;"><a href="http://www.deadlinenews.co.uk/2012/11/14/the-dogs-forced-to-smoke-up-to-15-cigarettes-a-day/"><span style="color: blue;">http://www.deadlinenews.co.uk/2012/11/14/the-dogs-forced-to-smoke-up-to-15-cigarettes-a-day/</span></a></span></span></span><br />
<br />
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiFd9r3vdm7KEm-FxC1mpVKyX7JyWiFSh20k0YU5VU8-Uc6nm5CdUllCvoTSpQghlnMKhYGsblowkOKDwmpuvLAk2elGLjOA7UCGx4GaiT_fIjDJsfWFY6mP-nyuRGDJ1_7TZrFg6MRe5M/s1600/Tobacco+Free.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiFd9r3vdm7KEm-FxC1mpVKyX7JyWiFSh20k0YU5VU8-Uc6nm5CdUllCvoTSpQghlnMKhYGsblowkOKDwmpuvLAk2elGLjOA7UCGx4GaiT_fIjDJsfWFY6mP-nyuRGDJ1_7TZrFg6MRe5M/s1600/Tobacco+Free.jpg" /></a></div>
</div>
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<span style="font-family: "Times New Roman","serif"; font-size: 12pt; line-height: 115%;"><span style="color: #990000;"><span style="font-family: "Times New Roman","serif"; font-size: 12pt; line-height: 115%; mso-ansi-language: EN-US; mso-bidi-language: AR-SA; mso-fareast-font-family: Calibri; mso-fareast-language: EN-US; mso-fareast-theme-font: minor-latin;"><span style="color: black;">
</span></span></span></span></div>
<span style="color: #990000;"><div class="MsoNormal" style="margin: 0in 0in 10pt; text-align: center;">
<span style="font-family: "Times New Roman","serif"; font-size: 12pt; line-height: 115%;"><span style="color: black;"><b><i><span style="color: #990000; font-size: x-large;">Pets 'at risk' from home smoking</span></i></b> <o:p></o:p></span></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin: 0in 0in 10pt; text-align: center;">
<span style="color: black;">
</span><span style="font-family: "Times New Roman","serif"; font-size: 12pt; line-height: 115%;"><span style="color: black;"><b><i><span style="color: #990000; font-size: large;">The professor is studying the level of nicotine in
the fur of dogs</span></i></b> <o:p></o:p></span></span></div>
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<span style="color: black;">
</span><span style="font-family: "Times New Roman","serif"; font-size: 12pt; line-height: 115%;"><b><i><span style="color: #990000;">A leading professor of animal medicine is warning
dog and cat owners about the risk of smoking around their pets.</span></i></b></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin: 0in 0in 10pt;">
<span style="font-family: "Times New Roman","serif"; font-size: 12pt; line-height: 115%;"><b><i><span style="color: #990000;">Clare Knottenbelt, from the University of Glasgow's
Small Animal Hospital, said there was mounting evidence of the effect of
second-hand smoke on pets.</span></i></b></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin: 0in 0in 10pt;">
<span style="font-family: "Times New Roman","serif"; font-size: 12pt; line-height: 115%;"><b><i><span style="color: #990000;">She will address a seminar held by NHS Ayrshire
& Arran on Wednesday.</span></i></b></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin: 0in 0in 10pt;">
<span style="font-family: "Times New Roman","serif"; font-size: 12pt; line-height: 115%;"><b><i><span style="color: #990000;">Prof Knottenbelt said studies had shown increased
risk of lymphoma and oral cancer in cats and of lung, nasal and sinus cancer in
dogs.</span></i></b></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin: 0in 0in 10pt;">
<span style="font-family: "Times New Roman","serif"; font-size: 12pt; line-height: 115%;"><b><i><span style="color: #990000;">She said: "Currently I am writing a research
paper looking at levels of nicotine in the fur of dogs which indicates they are
as exposed to the same levels of nicotine as children in a household. </span></i></b></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin: 0in 0in 10pt;">
<span style="font-family: "Times New Roman","serif"; font-size: 12pt; line-height: 115%;"><b><i><span style="color: #990000;">"This may be a useful way of indicating
second-hand smoke exposure in a household in general.</span></i></b></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin: 0in 0in 10pt;">
<span style="font-family: "Times New Roman","serif"; font-size: 12pt; line-height: 115%;"><b><i><span style="color: #990000;">"While veterinary medicine is advancing all the
time and we have the ability to treat some cancers in pets, it is expensive and
provides no guarantees of long-term survival. <o:p></o:p></span></i></b></span></div>
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<b><i><span style="color: #990000;">
<span style="font-family: "Times New Roman","serif"; font-size: 12pt; line-height: 115%; mso-ansi-language: EN-US; mso-bidi-language: AR-SA; mso-fareast-font-family: Calibri; mso-fareast-language: EN-US; mso-fareast-theme-font: minor-latin;">"The best way of
avoiding damage to your pet's health is to not smoke around them - or better
still, to give up."</span></span></i></b></div>
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<span style="font-family: "Times New Roman","serif"; font-size: 12pt; line-height: 115%; mso-ansi-language: EN-US; mso-bidi-language: AR-SA; mso-fareast-font-family: Calibri; mso-fareast-language: EN-US; mso-fareast-theme-font: minor-latin;"><span style="color: black;">Adapted from: <span style="font-family: "Times New Roman","serif"; font-size: 12pt; line-height: 115%; mso-ansi-language: EN-US; mso-bidi-language: AR-SA; mso-fareast-font-family: Calibri; mso-fareast-language: EN-US; mso-fareast-theme-font: minor-latin;"><a href="http://www.bbc.co.uk/news/uk-scotland-15421552"><span style="color: blue;">http://www.bbc.co.uk/news/uk-scotland-15421552</span></a></span></span></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: "Times New Roman","serif"; font-size: 12pt; line-height: 115%; mso-ansi-language: EN-US; mso-bidi-language: AR-SA; mso-fareast-font-family: Calibri; mso-fareast-language: EN-US; mso-fareast-theme-font: minor-latin;"><span style="color: black;"><span style="font-family: "Times New Roman","serif"; font-size: 12pt; line-height: 115%; mso-ansi-language: EN-US; mso-bidi-language: AR-SA; mso-fareast-font-family: Calibri; mso-fareast-language: EN-US; mso-fareast-theme-font: minor-latin;">
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<span style="font-family: "Times New Roman","serif"; font-size: 12pt; line-height: 115%;"><b><i><span style="font-size: x-large;"><span style="color: #990000;">Stop Smoking – For Your Health and Your Pets’</span></span></i></b></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: "Times New Roman","serif"; font-size: 12pt; line-height: 115%;"><b><i><span style="font-size: x-large;"><span style="color: #990000;"> Health<o:p></o:p></span></span></i></b></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: "Times New Roman","serif"; font-size: 12pt; line-height: 115%;"><b><i><span style="color: #990000;">You don’t need us to tell you the harm that smoking
can do to your body, or the risks posed to children and others from secondhand
smoke. But perhaps you’re unaware of the harm it can be doing to your pets.
Because pets share our environments, they also share our environmental exposures
– including tobacco smoke. </span></i></b></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: "Times New Roman","serif"; font-size: 12pt; line-height: 115%;"><b><i><span style="color: #990000;">Dogs living in homes with smokers have significantly
higher levels of cotinine (a breakdown product of nicotine) in their blood,
indicating exposure to nicotine through secondhand smoke.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>A 1998 study found that environmental
exposure to tobacco smoke resulted in an increased risk of cancer of the nasal
cavity and sinuses of dogs, particularly those with longer snouts (such as
collies, greyhounds and many other popular breeds); and the more packs the
smoker smoked, the higher the dog’s risk of cancer.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>This is likely because their longer nasal
passages accumulate the cancer-causing toxins. A 1992 study found that dogs
with short- and medium-length noses were more than twice as likely to develop
lung cancer if a smoker lived in the home, most likely because shorter-length
nasal passages don’t accumulate the cancer-causing toxins, allowing them to
enter the dog’s lungs instead.</span></i></b></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: "Times New Roman","serif"; font-size: 12pt; line-height: 115%;"><b><i><span style="color: #990000;">Pet cats living in smoking households are more than
twice as likely to develop malignant lymphoma (a type of cancer) compared to
cats in nonsmoking households. The risk increased with the duration and amount
of exposure, and cats with five or more years of exposure to secondhand smoke
were more than three times as likely to develop malignant lymphoma. </span></i></b></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: "Times New Roman","serif"; font-size: 12pt; line-height: 115%;"><b><i><span style="color: #990000;">Have you ever had anyone tell you that your clothes
smell like smoke? Well, it’s not the just the smell that can linger – it’s the
potential toxins, too. If you smell smoke on your pet, consider the toxins that
may be on your pet’s fur. Chances are, they’re ingesting them when they lick
the toxins off during grooming. </span></i></b></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: "Times New Roman","serif"; font-size: 12pt; line-height: 115%;"><b><i><span style="color: #990000;">Birds’ respiratory systems are particularly
susceptible to airborne contaminants. Significantly higher concentrations of
cotinine were found in the blood of birds living in smoking households compared
to birds living in nonsmoking households. Birds with exposure to secondhand
smoke can develop pneumonia, lung cancer, and problems with their eyes, skin,
heart and fertility. </span></i></b></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: "Times New Roman","serif"; font-size: 12pt; line-height: 115%;"><b><i><span style="color: #990000;">Smoking outside the home reduces the concentration
of environmental tobacco smoke in the house, but doesn’t eliminate it. A 2005
study found that environmental tobacco levels in homes of smokers who smoked
outdoors were still five to seven times higher than in households of
nonsmokers. </span></i></b></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: "Times New Roman","serif"; font-size: 12pt; line-height: 115%;"><b><i><span style="color: #990000;">And it’s not just the secondhand smoke that poses a
risk for your pets: discarded cigarette butts or other tobacco products left
within reach of pets can cause gastrointestinal problems or even nicotine
toxicity if your pet finds and eats them. <o:p></o:p></span></i></b></span></div>
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<b><i><span style="color: #990000;">
<span style="font-family: "Times New Roman","serif"; font-size: 12pt; line-height: 115%; mso-ansi-language: EN-US; mso-bidi-language: AR-SA; mso-fareast-font-family: Calibri; mso-fareast-language: EN-US; mso-fareast-theme-font: minor-latin;">If you smoke, please
consider quitting – if not for your health, then for your family’s health and
your pets’ health. Looking for inspiration or resources to help you make the
commitment to quit? The U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC)
have great resources for you.</span></span></i></b></div>
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<span style="font-family: "Times New Roman","serif"; font-size: 12pt; line-height: 115%; mso-ansi-language: EN-US; mso-bidi-language: AR-SA; mso-fareast-font-family: Calibri; mso-fareast-language: EN-US; mso-fareast-theme-font: minor-latin;"><span style="color: black;">Adapted from: <span style="font-family: "Times New Roman","serif"; font-size: 12pt; line-height: 115%; mso-ansi-language: EN-US; mso-bidi-language: AR-SA; mso-fareast-font-family: Calibri; mso-fareast-language: EN-US; mso-fareast-theme-font: minor-latin;"><a href="https://www.avma.org/public/PetCare/Pages/Stop-smoking-for-your-pets-health.aspx?utm_source=smartbrief&utm_medium=email"><span style="color: blue;">https://www.avma.org/public/PetCare/Pages/Stop-smoking-for-your-pets-health.aspx?utm_source=smartbrief&utm_medium=email</span></a></span></span></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: "Times New Roman","serif"; font-size: 12pt; line-height: 115%; mso-ansi-language: EN-US; mso-bidi-language: AR-SA; mso-fareast-font-family: Calibri; mso-fareast-language: EN-US; mso-fareast-theme-font: minor-latin;"><span style="color: black;"><span style="font-family: "Times New Roman","serif"; font-size: 12pt; line-height: 115%; mso-ansi-language: EN-US; mso-bidi-language: AR-SA; mso-fareast-font-family: Calibri; mso-fareast-language: EN-US; mso-fareast-theme-font: minor-latin;">
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<span style="font-family: "Times New Roman","serif"; font-size: 12pt; line-height: 115%;"><b><i><span style="font-size: x-large;"><span style="color: #990000;">Kick the Habit, for You and Your Pets<o:p></o:p></span></span></i></b></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: "Times New Roman","serif"; font-size: 12pt; line-height: 115%;"><b><i><span style="color: #990000;">Since 1977, the American Cancer Society has marked
the third Thursday of November as the Great American Smokeout. Smokers are
encouraged to go all day without lighting up, in the hopes that this will help
them to quit for good. While this has obvious health benefits for the people
who smoke, it also can improve the health of their pets. Dr. John Reif,
professor at the Colorado State University College of Veterinary Medicine and
Biomedical Sciences, talks about the health risks of tobacco smoke to pets.</span></i></b></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: "Times New Roman","serif"; font-size: 12pt; line-height: 115%;"><b><i><span style="color: #990000;">Pets and Secondhand Smoke</span></i></b></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: "Times New Roman","serif"; font-size: 12pt; line-height: 115%;"><b><i><span style="color: #990000;">Sarah Billings sits by the window of her third story
apartment hovered in a small corner of the room smoking a cigarette and
thinking about Jack Daniels. </span></i></b></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: "Times New Roman","serif"; font-size: 12pt; line-height: 115%;"><b><i><span style="color: #990000;">She is not a closet smoker or alcoholic, but a pet
owner who cares deeply for Jack, her 5-year-old hound-dog mix. She has known
Jack for his whole life, and is concerned about how her secondhand smoke may
affect him. </span></i></b></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: "Times New Roman","serif"; font-size: 12pt; line-height: 115%;"><b><i><span style="color: #990000;">"Dogs age almost seven times faster than
us," Billings said, a psychology major. "Secondhand smoke can cause
problems fast. I take Jack to the vet frequently and he appears to be fine, but
they don't do any specific tests to see early signs of secondhand smoke
poisoning."</span></i></b></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: "Times New Roman","serif"; font-size: 12pt; line-height: 115%;"><b><i><span style="color: #990000;">Billings said she has smoked cigarettes around Jack
for half of a year and worries about his sporadic wheezing, coughing and
hyperventilating around cigarette smoke. "I am close with my dog,"
Billings said. "I would never forgive myself if I caused his early
demise." </span></i></b></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: "Times New Roman","serif"; font-size: 12pt; line-height: 115%;"><b><i><span style="color: #990000;">Billings, along with other pet owners, is slowly
becoming aware of the effects of secondhand smoke on pets. Two studies were
done at CSU's Veterinary Teaching Hospital headed by John Reif, professor of
epidemiology, and the department chairman for environmental and radiological
health sciences, and associates that helped to bring awareness of secondhand
smoke to the public. </span></i></b></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: "Times New Roman","serif"; font-size: 12pt; line-height: 115%;"><b><i><span style="color: #990000;">In 1992 Reif conducted a study entitled, Passive
Smoking and Canine Lung Cancer Risk. Reif also headed the second study of
similar interests in 1998 titled, Cancer of the Nasal Cavity and Paranasal
Sinuses and Exposure to Environmental Tobacco Smoke in Pet Dogs. "These
studies are really the first to make us aware of secondhand smoke on
animals," Reif said. "They are the first of their kind."</span></i></b></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: "Times New Roman","serif"; font-size: 12pt; line-height: 115%;"><b><i><span style="color: #990000;">There were several factors taken into consideration
during the studies, such as number of smokers in the home, number of packs of
cigarettes smoked in the home per day by the heaviest smoker, the time the dog
spent inside the home, and the age, sex, body size and skull shape of the dog.
"All these factors involved are important," Reif said. "All
exposures are contributing factors." </span></i></b></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: "Times New Roman","serif"; font-size: 12pt; line-height: 115%;"><b><i><span style="color: #990000;">According to the study, a dog that has exposure to a
smoker in the home is 1.6 times more likely to develop lung cancer than a dog
that is not exposed to a smoker. </span></i></b></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: "Times New Roman","serif"; font-size: 12pt; line-height: 115%;"><b><i><span style="color: #990000;">The study found that skull shape had an effect on
the estimated risk of lung cancer in dogs. Dogs with long noses (like German
shepherds) have a higher risk for nasal cancer and dogs with short noses (like
pugs) have a higher risk for lung cancer, Reif said. This is because, in
theory, a dog with a long nose has an extra filtering system in its nose, so it
is more likely to develop nasal cancers, Reif said.</span></i></b></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: "Times New Roman","serif"; font-size: 12pt; line-height: 115%;"><b><i><span style="color: #990000;">"Both studies are important because they show
exposure to secondhand smoke has an increased risk for cancer of respiratory
system in dogs," Reif said. He said some of the warning signs of lung
cancer in dogs include chronic coughing, weight loss and abnormal fatigue.
Warning signs of nasal cancer include swelling over the nose or sinus area,
sneezing and bloody nasal discharge, Reif said.</span></i></b></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: "Times New Roman","serif"; font-size: 12pt; line-height: 115%;"><b><i><span style="color: #990000;">The only real prevention for these cancers is to not
smoke around your pets, Reif said. "Obviously people are encouraged not to
smoke," he said. "People who choose to smoke should do so away from
pets -- outdoors." </span></i></b></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: "Times New Roman","serif"; font-size: 12pt; line-height: 115%;"><b><i><span style="color: #990000;">Although the public is slowly becoming aware of the
effects of secondhand smoke through studies like these, the concept is still
unknown to many. Out of 20 random practicing veterinarians called in the Fort
Collins and Loveland yellow pages, not one of them knew a lot about any studies
done about the effects of secondhand smoke and pets. Also, none of these
veterinarians are currently talking to their clients about secondhand smoke's
potential negative effects. </span></i></b></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: "Times New Roman","serif"; font-size: 12pt; line-height: 115%;"><b><i><span style="color: #990000;">This lack of awareness may not be so prevalent at
the CSU campus this coming spring, however. The new approach to the subject of
secondhand smoke affecting pets was an inspiration for a new campaign in the
tobacco cessation program headed by Jerusha Hall with the assistance of Andrea
Boone at the CSU Hartshorn Health Center.</span></i></b></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: "Times New Roman","serif"; font-size: 12pt; line-height: 115%;"><b><i><span style="color: #990000;">"The whole campaign started because as a smoker
I was looking for a different approach to tobacco education," Hall said, a
senior animal science major. She said the approach to tobacco cessation has
been seen in the same light for too long and finding a new twist might help to
reach more people. Hall said she takes better care of her dogs then she does
herself in some ways and knows she is not alone in this behavior. </span></i></b></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: "Times New Roman","serif"; font-size: 12pt; line-height: 115%;"><b><i><span style="color: #990000;">"To me it was an approach that I hadn't seen
before and maybe it is something that would connect for some other
smokers," Hall said. " The process of cessation is so difficult and
maybe just looking at things differently may help." </span></i></b></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: "Times New Roman","serif"; font-size: 12pt; line-height: 115%;"><b><i><span style="color: #990000;">The major goal of the pets and health campaign,
which starts later this spring, is for people on campus to gain some awareness
on the tobacco issue, Hall said. </span></i></b></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: "Times New Roman","serif"; font-size: 12pt; line-height: 115%;"><b><i><span style="color: #990000;">This project will include a poster campaign with
resource numbers, Web sites and a tentatively scheduled dog day on campus which
will include health checks for dogs, Frisbee and bandana giveaways, getting
your dog's photo taken with Mr. Butts (a speaker on secondhand smoke and your
pet) and a raffle for t-shirts. </span></i></b></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: "Times New Roman","serif"; font-size: 12pt; line-height: 115%;"><b><i><span style="color: #990000;">This event is tentatively planned for April 23, with
the posters coming out a week or two before the event.</span></i></b></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: "Times New Roman","serif"; font-size: 12pt; line-height: 115%;"><span style="color: #990000;"><span style="color: black;">Adapted from:</span><b><i> </i></b><span style="font-family: "Times New Roman","serif"; font-size: 12pt; line-height: 115%; mso-ansi-language: EN-US; mso-bidi-language: AR-SA; mso-fareast-font-family: Calibri; mso-fareast-language: EN-US; mso-fareast-theme-font: minor-latin;"><a href="http://www.infoimagination.org/k9kids/news/k9ets.html"><span style="color: blue;">http://www.infoimagination.org/k9kids/news/k9ets.html</span></a></span></span></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: "Times New Roman","serif"; line-height: 115%;"><span style="font-family: "Times New Roman","serif"; line-height: 115%; mso-ansi-language: EN-US; mso-bidi-language: AR-SA; mso-fareast-font-family: Calibri; mso-fareast-language: EN-US; mso-fareast-theme-font: minor-latin;"><span style="color: black; font-size: x-large;"><b>SPORTS NEWS<span style="font-size: small;"> </span></b></span></span></span><br />
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;">
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhFKP8W4dW4ONcO7f6dnWcp2Z0qRW2IFMXOfEja3QtRhJDclwUJyqxETX88h3-MQ5sM8ZrA9trNuWApPubQ-DBjMdBlyNEuNZp3o-7QDMECQgrZQYrL8owsxTu9xYwXPLU-glPZB189qA0/s1600/sports+balls.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"></a><br /></div>
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhFKP8W4dW4ONcO7f6dnWcp2Z0qRW2IFMXOfEja3QtRhJDclwUJyqxETX88h3-MQ5sM8ZrA9trNuWApPubQ-DBjMdBlyNEuNZp3o-7QDMECQgrZQYrL8owsxTu9xYwXPLU-glPZB189qA0/s1600/sports+balls.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhFKP8W4dW4ONcO7f6dnWcp2Z0qRW2IFMXOfEja3QtRhJDclwUJyqxETX88h3-MQ5sM8ZrA9trNuWApPubQ-DBjMdBlyNEuNZp3o-7QDMECQgrZQYrL8owsxTu9xYwXPLU-glPZB189qA0/s1600/sports+balls.jpg" /></a><span style="font-family: "Times New Roman","serif"; line-height: 115%;"><span style="font-family: "Times New Roman","serif"; line-height: 115%; mso-ansi-language: EN-US; mso-bidi-language: AR-SA; mso-fareast-font-family: Calibri; mso-fareast-language: EN-US; mso-fareast-theme-font: minor-latin;"><span style="color: black; font-size: large;">The good news is that the Steelers didn't lose a game this weekend. The bad news is that they aren't in the playoffs at all. This summer's training camp seems a long way off but Steeler fans will have plenty to stew about until August.</span></span></span><br />
<span style="font-size: large;"></span><br />
<span style="font-family: "Times New Roman","serif"; line-height: 115%;"><span style="font-family: "Times New Roman","serif"; line-height: 115%; mso-ansi-language: EN-US; mso-bidi-language: AR-SA; mso-fareast-font-family: Calibri; mso-fareast-language: EN-US; mso-fareast-theme-font: minor-latin;"><span style="color: black; font-size: large;">Ohio State's basketball team went on the road to Illinois and lost the game. I'm still not real sure how this team is going to compare with those of the last few years.</span></span></span><br />
</div>
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<span style="font-family: "Times New Roman","serif"; line-height: 115%;"><span style="font-family: "Times New Roman","serif"; line-height: 115%; mso-ansi-language: EN-US; mso-bidi-language: AR-SA; mso-fareast-font-family: Calibri; mso-fareast-language: EN-US; mso-fareast-theme-font: minor-latin;"><b><span style="font-size: x-large;">PERSONAL STUFF</span></b></span></span></div>
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<br />
<b style="mso-bidi-font-weight: normal;"><span style="font-family: "Times New Roman","serif"; font-size: 12pt; mso-ansi-language: EN-US; mso-bidi-language: AR-SA; mso-fareast-font-family: "Times New Roman"; mso-fareast-language: EN-US;"><i>“You will never find time for anything. If you want
time you must make it."</i>--Charles Buxton, British brewer, philanthropist,
writer and legislator</span></b></div>
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<span style="font-family: Times, "Times New Roman", serif;"><span style="color: black; font-size: large;">So...if you want time for something this year...it's up to YOU to make it happen!</span></span><br />
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</span></span><br />
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<span style="font-family: Times, "Times New Roman", serif;"><span style="color: black;"><i><span style="color: black;">~~The goal of this blog is to
provide general information and advice to help you be a better pet owner and to
have a more rewarding relationship with your pet. This blog does not intend to
replace the professional one-on-one care your pet receives from a practicing
veterinarian. When in doubt about your pet's health, always visit a
veterinarian.~~</span></i></span></span></div>
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Helpful Buckeyehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/18134633849820948837noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-16663019142577616.post-41201169797652808092012-12-30T23:00:00.000-07:002012-12-31T05:45:04.603-07:00DOGS DOING THE DARNEDEST THINGS<br />
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgdUIzH2KqNlj9a2Jw4Hbf8gtJ2Fsc9iD9AwAUpBEtsG9eDFiQ3ofo9Q_pE4SqSi_xBApmVV03aBW0qA1b3sPOqeX_9iyhsaFh7-PXaT-mqy662ublTmTEireT_IopP1AhkxuP_fukaQe8/s1600/Happy+New+Year.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="68" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgdUIzH2KqNlj9a2Jw4Hbf8gtJ2Fsc9iD9AwAUpBEtsG9eDFiQ3ofo9Q_pE4SqSi_xBApmVV03aBW0qA1b3sPOqeX_9iyhsaFh7-PXaT-mqy662ublTmTEireT_IopP1AhkxuP_fukaQe8/s320/Happy+New+Year.jpg" width="320" /></a></div>
<br />
Welcome to the last issue of 2012 for <strong><span style="color: #990000;">Questions On Dogs and Cats</span></strong>. It doesn't seem that long ago that I was typing the same thing for 2011, does it? On balance, it's been a really good year for Desperado and Helpful Buckeye, both individually and collectively. We hope that your year was equally rewarding...for you, your family, and your pets. Helpful Buckeye will get into more thoughts on the year's end and the New Year ahead of us toward the end of this issue.<br />
<br />
It has been said that, amongst all mammals, the dog species (<em>Canis familiaris</em>) shows the most diversity in body shape and appearance:<br />
<br />
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<span style="font-family: "Times New Roman","serif"; font-size: 12pt; line-height: 115%;"><span style="color: #351c75; font-size: x-large;"><strong><em>Dogs are the most diverse-looking mammals </em></strong></span></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: "Times New Roman","serif"; font-size: 12pt; line-height: 115%;"><span style="font-size: x-large;"><strong><em><span style="color: #351c75;">around<o:p></o:p></span></em></strong></span></span></div>
<strong><em><span style="color: #351c75;">
<span style="font-family: "Times New Roman","serif"; font-size: 12pt; line-height: 115%; mso-ansi-language: EN-US; mso-bidi-language: AR-SA; mso-fareast-font-family: Calibri; mso-fareast-language: EN-US; mso-fareast-theme-font: minor-latin;">From the droopy
Bassett Hound to the sleek-and-slim Weimaraner, dogs show an amazing diversity
in body shape. A study published in The American Naturalist in 2010 found that
the differences between dog breeds' skulls are as pronounced as the differences
between completely separate mammal species. A Collie skull, for example, is as
different from a Pekingese skull as a cat's skull is from a walrus's.</span></span></em></strong><br />
<strong><em><span style="color: #bf9000;"><span style="font-family: "Times New Roman","serif"; font-size: 12pt; line-height: 115%; mso-ansi-language: EN-US; mso-bidi-language: AR-SA; mso-fareast-font-family: Calibri; mso-fareast-language: EN-US; mso-fareast-theme-font: minor-latin;"></span></span></em></strong><br />
<span style="font-family: "Times New Roman","serif"; font-size: 12pt; line-height: 115%; mso-ansi-language: EN-US; mso-bidi-language: AR-SA; mso-fareast-font-family: Calibri; mso-fareast-language: EN-US; mso-fareast-theme-font: minor-latin;"><span style="color: black;">Adapted from: <span style="font-family: "Times New Roman","serif"; font-size: 12pt; line-height: 115%;"><a href="http://www.livescience.com/13305-facts-dog-breeds-genetics-pets.html"><span style="color: blue;">http://www.livescience.com/13305-facts-dog-breeds-genetics-pets.html</span></a>
</span></span></span><br />
<span style="font-family: "Times New Roman","serif"; font-size: 12pt; line-height: 115%; mso-ansi-language: EN-US; mso-bidi-language: AR-SA; mso-fareast-font-family: Calibri; mso-fareast-language: EN-US; mso-fareast-theme-font: minor-latin;"><span style="color: black;"><span style="font-family: "Times New Roman","serif"; font-size: 12pt; line-height: 115%;"></span></span></span><br />
<span style="font-family: "Times New Roman","serif"; font-size: 12pt; line-height: 115%; mso-ansi-language: EN-US; mso-bidi-language: AR-SA; mso-fareast-font-family: Calibri; mso-fareast-language: EN-US; mso-fareast-theme-font: minor-latin;"><span style="color: black;"><span style="font-family: "Times New Roman","serif"; font-size: 12pt; line-height: 115%;">Along with that amazing diversity in body shapes, dogs have also been described by almost uncountable adjectives...ornery, playful, vicious, frisky, smelly, cute, "ugly," stubborn, slow-witted, fun-loving...you can fill in the adjective of your choice. However, with all that diversity in descriptions of dogs, they still can be found doing the darnedest things you'll ever see from a mammal. So, sit back and enjoy reading about some truly exciting and interesting exploits of "Man's Best Friend"....</span></span></span><br />
<span style="color: black;"></span><br />
<span style="color: black;"></span><br />
<span style="color: black;"></span><br />
<span style="color: black;"><div class="MsoNormal" style="margin: 0in 0in 10pt; text-align: center;">
<span style="font-family: "Times New Roman","serif"; font-size: 12pt; line-height: 115%;"><span style="font-size: x-large;"><strong><em><span style="color: #990000;">The Relationship Between A Battlefield Bomb-</span></em></strong></span></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: "Times New Roman","serif"; font-size: 12pt; line-height: 115%;"><span style="font-size: x-large;"><strong><em><span style="color: #990000;">Tech And
His Dog Is Unlike Anything Else In</span></em></strong></span></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: "Times New Roman","serif"; font-size: 12pt; line-height: 115%;"><span style="font-size: x-large;"><strong><em><span style="color: #990000;"> The World<o:p></o:p></span></em></strong></span></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: "Times New Roman","serif"; font-size: 12pt; line-height: 115%;"><strong><em><span style="color: #990000;">Army Specialist John Nolan’s heart pounded as he
stared into the wadi in central Afghanistan. He wasn’t sure what lay beneath
the loose, granular dirt.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>Was there a
500-pound bomb buried beneath him? If that thing detonated, he would be dead.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>Maybe there were some homemade explosive or
land mines? If they exploded right now, he might live. He might not. </span></em></strong></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: "Times New Roman","serif"; font-size: 12pt; line-height: 115%;"><strong><em><span style="color: #990000;">Man, this was crazy. Searching for something that
could end his life instantly was insane. What the hell was he doing?<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>He missed his wife Cara. She was pregnant
with their first child. He wanted to see his little girl born. He didn’t want
to die in this Godforsaken pothole of a country. </span></em></strong></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: "Times New Roman","serif"; font-size: 12pt; line-height: 115%;"><strong><em><span style="color: #990000;">He looked over his shoulder at Master Sergeant
Johnny Ramey who nodded to him. Then he looked past Ramey to the others, the men
of the Green Beret team he was assigned to.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;">
</span>Lean, mean and focused—these nine men had nearly 100 deployments among
them. The country saw the Green Berets as supermen.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>He knew better though. The Green Berets were
just men like he was.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>They have families.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>They have children.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>They would die for you, John Nolan. Now you
need to make sure they get home safely to their families. Focus, Nolan.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>They are your countrymen. They need you.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>They need the Bear.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>Focus on The Bear. <span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>Be one with Honza Bear.</span></em></strong></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: "Times New Roman","serif"; font-size: 12pt; line-height: 115%;"><strong><em><span style="color: #990000;">He looked down into the wadi which followed the
natural contours of the land. During the rainy season the wadi probably carried
water. Now it was just another place for the Taliban to set up explosives. Just
another place to kill him and his countrymen.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;">
</span>But he had a secret weapon.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>The
squarely-built, tan, muscular, 100-pound Labrador Retriever moved slowly across
the wadi. His nose was low and his tail wagged. He could have been any of the
Green Beret’s family dogs back at Fort Bragg North Carolina. But he wasn’t.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>A sniff here. A sniff there. Tail wagging.
The Labrador appeared to be foraging picnic sites for picnic baskets. But he
wasn’t. </span></em></strong></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: "Times New Roman","serif"; font-size: 12pt; line-height: 115%;"><strong><em><span style="color: #990000;">Army Specialized Search Dog Honza Bear was on the
hunt for explosives.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>John followed Honza
cautiously. Honza Bear’s yellow stomach was splotched with dark dirt marks. And
he looked like he had dark brown mittens on.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;">
</span>What the hell is Honza doing? John wondered.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>The local Afghanis said the explosives were
in the wadi. Why was Honza Bear leaving the wadi?<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>Honza Bear paused, his tail wagged more
quickly, and his nostrils flared quickly.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;">
</span>John shivered with fear and excitement because he knew that Honza Bear
was “on scent.” Honza Bear could smell an explosive.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>Honza Bear moved back up into the grape
field. He sniffed the three-foot high thick dirt mounds but apparently didn’t
like what he smelled. He went back down into the wadi and then back into the
grape field.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>He knew Honza Bear was
trying to pinpoint the exact spot of the explosive. They called this
“bracketing” in the dog world.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>Honza
Bear brushed by him, moving at a trot.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>John
froze. He didn’t want to step on the explosive. It could be set up to blow with
a pressure plate. His weight would certainly set the explosive off. And he
didn’t want the men to step on it either. </span></em></strong></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: "Times New Roman","serif"; font-size: 12pt; line-height: 115%;"><strong><em><span style="color: #990000;">“Master Sergeant Ramey, Honza is on scent. Back
away,” John said.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>Ramey nodded and
placed the team into a secure perimeter, allowing John to focus on Honza Bear.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>Honza Bear entered the wadi with his nose low
and nostrils flaring quickly. He suddenly stopped and craned his neck up and
out.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>Had he found it? John wondered.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>Honza Bear bolted up and out of the wadi, ran
to a mound of dirt near the grape field, and disappeared.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>What was going on?<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>“Honza,” John called as he followed Honza’s
path. He knew chasing Honza Bear was risky.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;">
</span>It didn’t matter. <span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>Honza Bear was
his partner.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>He hated losing sight of
his dog. John began searching the mounds but couldn’t find him. After a minute
or so he caught a glimpse of a yellow tail.</span></em></strong></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: "Times New Roman","serif"; font-size: 12pt; line-height: 115%;"><strong><em><span style="color: #990000;">Honza Bear had crawled into a hole half his size and
was lying down in a final response. The John saw the five-gallon jugs wrapped
in plastic inches from Honza’s nose.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>John
wanted to pump his fist in excitement. Honza and he had found an explosive. It
was their first find. But there was no time to be proud or pat himself on the
back.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>They needed to get the hell out of
there before it exploded.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>“Honza, leave
it, come,” John said.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>Hearing his
emergency recall Honza leaped up and jumped out of the hole. He rumbled towards
John with his tongue nearly dragging on the ground.</span></em></strong></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: "Times New Roman","serif"; font-size: 12pt; line-height: 115%;"><strong><em><span style="color: #990000;">John pulled out the dog’s reward–a ball on a
rope–and tossed it in the air. Honza caught it in midair and chomped down. John
hooked him up to the leash and dragged the euphoric dog from the spot.</span></em></strong></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: "Times New Roman","serif"; font-size: 12pt; line-height: 115%;"><strong><em><span style="color: #990000;">Ramey had the team engineer, Sergeant First Class
Kingston, inspect the hole and the explosives.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;">
</span>Ten minutes later Kingston returned and reported, “It is 25 pounds of
Ammonia Nitrate Aluminum. We can blow it in place.”<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>It was confirmed. John’s and Honza’s first
find! They had just prevented those 25 pounds of explosives from being used to
kill or maim their countrymen.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>It was an
amazing feeling to remove something so destructive from the battlefield. John
had just proven their worth to the Green Berets. </span></em></strong></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: "Times New Roman","serif"; font-size: 12pt; line-height: 115%;"></span><span style="font-family: "Times New Roman","serif"; font-size: 12pt; line-height: 115%;"><strong><em><span style="color: #990000;">Maybe he could do this for a year.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>John knew there was much more to find and
remove.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>And he knew one thing for sure.
Today’s find was relatively simple. They wouldn’t all be like this. <o:p></o:p></span></em></strong></span></div>
<strong><em><span style="color: #990000;">
<span style="font-family: "Times New Roman","serif"; font-size: 12pt; line-height: 115%; mso-ansi-language: EN-US; mso-bidi-language: AR-SA; mso-fareast-font-family: Calibri; mso-fareast-language: EN-US; mso-fareast-theme-font: minor-latin;">But John wasn’t
worried. He had Honza Bear.</span></span></em></strong><br />
<strong><em><span style="color: #990000;"><span style="font-family: "Times New Roman","serif"; font-size: 12pt; line-height: 115%; mso-ansi-language: EN-US; mso-bidi-language: AR-SA; mso-fareast-font-family: Calibri; mso-fareast-language: EN-US; mso-fareast-theme-font: minor-latin;"></span></span></em></strong><br />
<span style="font-family: "Times New Roman","serif"; font-size: 12pt; line-height: 115%; mso-ansi-language: EN-US; mso-bidi-language: AR-SA; mso-fareast-font-family: Calibri; mso-fareast-language: EN-US; mso-fareast-theme-font: minor-latin;"><span style="color: black;">Adapted from: </span></span><span style="color: black;"><span style="font-family: "Times New Roman","serif"; font-size: 12pt; line-height: 115%;"><a href="http://www.businessinsider.com/the-relationship-between-a-bomb-tech-and-his-dog-2012-12"><span style="color: blue;">http://www.businessinsider.com/the-relationship-between-a-bomb-tech-and-his-dog-2012-12</span></a>
</span></span><br />
<span style="color: black;"><span style="font-family: "Times New Roman","serif"; font-size: 12pt; line-height: 115%;"><o:p></o:p></span></span><br />
<span style="color: black;">
Aren't you glad those guys are on our side? </span>
<span style="color: black;">
</span><br />
<span style="color: black;"></span><br />
<span style="color: black;"><div class="MsoNormal" style="margin: 0in 0in 10pt; text-align: center;">
<span style="font-family: "Times New Roman","serif"; font-size: 12pt; line-height: 115%;"><strong><span style="font-size: x-large;"><em><span style="color: #38761d;">Army’s Automated Dog Whisperer Will Train </span></em></span></strong></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: "Times New Roman","serif"; font-size: 12pt; line-height: 115%;"><strong><span style="font-size: x-large;"><em><span style="color: #38761d;">Puppies of
War<o:p></o:p></span></em></span></strong></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: "Times New Roman","serif"; font-size: 12pt; line-height: 115%;"><strong><em><span style="color: #38761d;">The U.S. military already has a kennel-load of
bomb-sniffing dogs. But getting those four-legged explosives-hunters ready for
war requires a ton of time and patience from a human trainer. No more, the Army
hopes. They want an automated system that can prep dogs and rodents to spot
bombs. Good call, Pentagon! As they surely learned on the Internets, dogs love
computers.</span></em></strong></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: "Times New Roman","serif"; font-size: 12pt; line-height: 115%;"><strong><em><span style="color: #38761d;">In the military’s latest round of small business
research awards, the Army doled out three contracts to create computerized
animal coaches. Their plan is to come up with “a rugged automated trainer
system” that would prep “large quantities of animals” to seek out explosives
and landmines.</span></em></strong></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: "Times New Roman","serif"; font-size: 12pt; line-height: 115%;"><strong><em><span style="color: #38761d;">The initiative, Rugged Automated Training System,
or, yes, RATS, is the latest in a series of Pentagon-backed ventures to turn
furry mammals into mine hunters. Dogs remain the military’s best explosives
detector – boasting an 80 percent success rate – much to the chagrin of top
brass who’ve doled out more than $19 billion for high-tech bomb-detection
research since 2004. Rodents, including giant African pouched rats, have
sniffed out land mines across Africa and are undergoing military-funded study
for their potential to track down mines in warzones.</span></em></strong></span></div>
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhJ9aXLLrUxc9i9-FDGt3gkok3PV2CcTr3ytUvBDkYhZvi8EUam0CtR3sKQnhJtFD738hjK9dulpZxh8U1PM4CAVqwoIkVyhl3WWrs0b4UG-BDG9tc0hdbyt-AnBNtgAGkGFA_-tMVhUro/s1600/Puppy+at+Computer.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"></a><br /></div>
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhJ9aXLLrUxc9i9-FDGt3gkok3PV2CcTr3ytUvBDkYhZvi8EUam0CtR3sKQnhJtFD738hjK9dulpZxh8U1PM4CAVqwoIkVyhl3WWrs0b4UG-BDG9tc0hdbyt-AnBNtgAGkGFA_-tMVhUro/s1600/Puppy+at+Computer.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="212" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhJ9aXLLrUxc9i9-FDGt3gkok3PV2CcTr3ytUvBDkYhZvi8EUam0CtR3sKQnhJtFD738hjK9dulpZxh8U1PM4CAVqwoIkVyhl3WWrs0b4UG-BDG9tc0hdbyt-AnBNtgAGkGFA_-tMVhUro/s320/Puppy+at+Computer.jpg" width="320" /></a><span style="font-family: "Times New Roman","serif"; font-size: 12pt; line-height: 115%;"><strong><em><span style="color: #38761d;">But for all their explosive sniffing potential,
animals — as anyone who’s used a puppy pee pad can attest — are kinda tricky to
train. Right now, dogs typically train with a single human handler for up to
two years before being deployed on a detection mission. The pups are
conditioned to treat explosive hunting like a game, with balls, treats and human
affection acting as the reward. The process is simpler for rats and other
rodents, but still relies on a human trainer and hours of Pavlovian
conditioning. Plus, the animals require refresher training on an ongoing basis,
making it a full-time job just to keep the sniffing squad in top shape.</span></em></strong></span><br />
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<span style="font-family: "Times New Roman","serif"; font-size: 12pt; line-height: 115%;"><strong><em><span style="color: #38761d;">If RATS is successful, human trainers would be off
the hook. Instead, an automated system would run several animals through
detection drills, and then submit “detailed data on training status and
performance feedback” to human supervisors. The computerized systems would
probably operate a lot like the human training process: Animals experience “an
involuntary physiological response” to odors they’ve been trained to recognize.
So stimulus like food would be distributed whenever the system detected, via
sensors, that an animal had found an explosive. Researchers at the University
of Virginia, one of the institutes pursuing the Army’s plan, anticipate
plopping each animal into an “automated chamber, controlled by custom software.”
Each animal would be decked out with a “sensor backpack” to relay data on their
progress.</span></em></strong></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: "Times New Roman","serif"; font-size: 12pt; line-height: 115%;"><strong><em><span style="color: #38761d;">The systems could very well train up more animals,
more quickly. But it’s highly unlikely that RATS could entirely replace every
human trainer. For one thing, we kinda doubt those automated chambers are gonna
be completely pee-proof.</span></em></strong></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: "Times New Roman","serif"; font-size: 12pt; line-height: 115%;"><span style="color: black;">Adapted from: <span style="font-family: "Times New Roman","serif"; font-size: 12pt; line-height: 115%; mso-ansi-language: EN-US; mso-bidi-language: AR-SA; mso-fareast-font-family: Calibri; mso-fareast-language: EN-US; mso-fareast-theme-font: minor-latin;"><a href="http://www.wired.com/dangerroom/2012/01/animal-training/"><span style="color: blue;">http://www.wired.com/dangerroom/2012/01/animal-training/</span></a></span></span></span><span style="font-family: "Times New Roman","serif"; font-size: 12pt; line-height: 115%;"><span style="color: black;"><span style="font-family: "Times New Roman","serif"; font-size: 12pt; line-height: 115%; mso-ansi-language: EN-US; mso-bidi-language: AR-SA; mso-fareast-font-family: Calibri; mso-fareast-language: EN-US; mso-fareast-theme-font: minor-latin;"></span></span></span></div>
<span style="color: black;"><div class="MsoNormal" style="margin: 0in 0in 10pt;">
<span style="font-family: "Times New Roman","serif"; font-size: 12pt; line-height: 115%;"></span> </div>
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<span style="font-family: "Times New Roman","serif"; font-size: 12pt; line-height: 115%;"><strong><span style="font-size: x-large;"><em><span style="color: #0b5394;">Vapor Wake Dogs trained at AU<o:p></o:p></span></em></span></strong></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: "Times New Roman","serif"; font-size: 12pt; line-height: 115%;"><strong><em><span style="color: #0b5394;">COLUMBUS, Ga. --</span></em></strong></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: "Times New Roman","serif"; font-size: 12pt; line-height: 115%;"><strong><em><span style="color: #0b5394;">A growing new breed of counterterrorism specialists
are being used across the country, from<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;">
</span>Los Angeles to the nation's capitol.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;">
</span>They're one of the newest weapons against explosive threats.</span></em></strong></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: "Times New Roman","serif"; font-size: 12pt; line-height: 115%;"><strong><em><span style="color: #0b5394;">Auburn University Vapor Wake detection dogs on
assignment in a local mall....</span></em></strong></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: "Times New Roman","serif"; font-size: 12pt; line-height: 115%;"><strong><em><span style="color: #0b5394;">Of the many seemingly innocent shoppers, the so
called "super dog" is challenged to identify a decoy bomber.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>“Our dogs are proactive in that they have no
reason to look for anything other than that trained odor and when they
encounter it, they're able to take it to the source and identify potential
suspects,” said a trainer. </span></em></strong></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: "Times New Roman","serif"; font-size: 12pt; line-height: 115%;"><strong><em><span style="color: #0b5394;">For years, bomb detection canines have been highly
effective at identifying the presence of explosives...But here's the catch:
the package had to be stationary.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>But
this so-called "super athlete of dogs" is after the bomber on the
move.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>“As the person moves through they
do develop a wake of air behind them and the dog is scenting that, if the dog
identifies an explosives material then it would give a response...From that we
came up with the terminology vapor wake,” said Dr. Robert Gillette, AU
Veterinary College of Medicine. </span></em></strong></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: "Times New Roman","serif"; font-size: 12pt; line-height: 115%;"><strong><em><span style="color: #0b5394;">In 2004, a massacre in Madrid...184 people
killed.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>And more than 50 people lost
their lives in 2005 during coordinated attacks in London.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>But it was the 2009 attempted airplane
bombing over Detroit on Christmas day- -the so called "underwear
bomber"- - that prompted counterterrorism officials to consider a change
in tactics and they turned to Auburn University College of Veterinary Medicine
for vapor wake dogs.</span></em></strong></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: "Times New Roman","serif"; font-size: 12pt; line-height: 115%;"><strong><em><span style="color: #0b5394;">“We developed the whole package if you will.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>How the dog is utilized.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>How the dog is trained. Once we showed that
it was usable people came to us and said we'd like to use this in our different
environments,” said Dr. Gillette. </span></em></strong></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: "Times New Roman","serif"; font-size: 12pt; line-height: 115%;"><strong><em><span style="color: #0b5394;">There are two training locations: One, in Auburn and
the other, in Anniston (both in Alabama).<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>The latter is
where News 3 met with veterinarian Dr. Robert Gillette.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>“As the growing security concerns of the
nation have come, we found that we can utilize these dogs in areas where we
have mass groups of people,” said Gillette.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;">
</span>Dr. Gillette says Labrador Retrievers are used for the program, partly
because of their ability to focus, yet stay friendly in highly populated social
settings.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>“Not every dog can be a vapor
wake dog, usually 1 in 8 dogs will be vapor wake dogs. The other dogs will be
typical detection dogs,” said Gillette. </span></em></strong></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: "Times New Roman","serif"; font-size: 12pt; line-height: 115%;"><strong><em><span style="color: #0b5394;">The dogs go through a variety of obstacle courses until
they are comfortable climbing over baggage and searching a range of diverse
locations.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>In one room, dogs practice
recognizing the scent of explosive devices.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;">
</span>And her trainers get the results they've been hoping for....</span></em></strong></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: "Times New Roman","serif"; font-size: 12pt; line-height: 115%;"><strong><em><span style="color: #0b5394;">Then it's time for some on the job training.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>The mission at hand, detecting explosive
devices on the move at a local mall. <o:p></o:p></span></em></strong></span></div>
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<strong><em><span style="color: #0b5394;">
<span style="font-family: "Times New Roman","serif"; font-size: 12pt; line-height: 115%; mso-ansi-language: EN-US; mso-bidi-language: AR-SA; mso-fareast-font-family: Calibri; mso-fareast-language: EN-US; mso-fareast-theme-font: minor-latin;">“Then we will have a
decoy walk through and what we hope to see is a good change in behavior and
that dog to follow the decoy,” said a trainer.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;">
</span>And in no time, the vapor wake dog nabs the potential bomber.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>A job well done for the vapor wake dog.</span></span></em></strong><br />
<strong><em><span style="color: #0b5394;"></span></em></strong><br />
<span style="color: black;">Adapted from: <span style="font-family: "Times New Roman","serif"; font-size: 12pt; line-height: 115%; mso-ansi-language: EN-US; mso-bidi-language: AR-SA; mso-fareast-font-family: Calibri; mso-fareast-language: EN-US; mso-fareast-theme-font: minor-latin;"><a href="http://www2.wrbl.com/news/2012/feb/24/vapor-wake-dogs-trained-au-ar-3289588/"><span style="color: blue;">http://www2.wrbl.com/news/2012/feb/24/vapor-wake-dogs-trained-au-ar-3289588/</span></a></span></span><br />
<span style="color: black;"><span style="font-family: "Times New Roman","serif"; font-size: 12pt; line-height: 115%; mso-ansi-language: EN-US; mso-bidi-language: AR-SA; mso-fareast-font-family: Calibri; mso-fareast-language: EN-US; mso-fareast-theme-font: minor-latin;"></span></span><br />
<span style="color: black;"><span style="font-family: "Times New Roman","serif"; font-size: 12pt; line-height: 115%; mso-ansi-language: EN-US; mso-bidi-language: AR-SA; mso-fareast-font-family: Calibri; mso-fareast-language: EN-US; mso-fareast-theme-font: minor-latin;">In addition to researchers trying to learn more about how dogs can smell and detect these dangers, other researchers are working toward building a robotic "nose" that mimics the ability of the canine sniffer.</span></span><br />
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<span style="font-family: "Times New Roman","serif"; font-size: 12pt; line-height: 115%;"><strong><span style="font-size: x-large;"><em><span style="color: #741b47;">The (Dog's) Nose Knows: Sensor Mimics Canine</span></em></span></strong></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: "Times New Roman","serif"; font-size: 12pt; line-height: 115%;"><strong><span style="font-size: x-large;"><em><span style="color: #741b47;">
Sniffing Cells For Smells<o:p></o:p></span></em></span></strong></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: "Times New Roman","serif"; font-size: 12pt; line-height: 115%;"><strong><em><span style="color: #741b47;">Dogs’ amazing sense of smell can help police
officers find lost people, illegal drugs or smuggled food, or locate explosives as described in the above articles. Scientists use
trained sniffer dogs to track pythons in the Everglades or find whales by
smelling their floating poop. And some dogs can smell cancer too. </span></em></strong></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: "Times New Roman","serif"; font-size: 12pt; line-height: 115%;"><strong><em><span style="color: #741b47;">Scientists are working to build devices that can
detect odors as sensitively as a dog’s nose. Now researchers in South Korea
have built a sensor that works like a dog’s nose, without using canine sniffing
cells. The new device combines a simplified version of the cells in dog’s nose
with tiny transistors similar to those in our computers. It senses hexanal, a
chemical commonly released by rotting food. </span></em></strong></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: "Times New Roman","serif"; font-size: 12pt; line-height: 115%;"><strong><em><span style="color: #741b47;">When a dog takes a whiff of something (possibly
stinky to us!), chemical vapors bind to matching proteins on the surface of
different cells in its nose. Binding of the aroma molecule sends a cascade of
charged ions coursing through the cell. Those ions create an electric field
that travels through the cell. This chemical and electrical wave travels along
connected cells and neurons until it reaches the dog’s brain as a nerve
impulse, signaling that the animal encountered that particular smell. </span></em></strong></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: "Times New Roman","serif"; font-size: 12pt; line-height: 115%;"><strong><em><span style="color: #741b47;">Tai Hyun Park and Seunghun Hong, of Seoul National
University, with their colleagues, recreated a simplified version of the
detecting cells in a dog’s nose using tiny bubbles made from cell membrane. The
scientists engineered human kidney cells to produce the canine receptor protein
for hexanal, a chemical released by rotting food. </span></em></strong></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: "Times New Roman","serif"; font-size: 12pt; line-height: 115%;"><strong><em><span style="color: #741b47;">These cells naturally contain a handful of accessory
proteins that generate the ion cascade once the smell molecule binds to its
receptor. The researchers shook the engineered cells and tiny bits of membrane
pinched off into tiny bubbles that contained the dog receptor protein and the
accessory proteins.</span></em></strong></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: "Times New Roman","serif"; font-size: 12pt; line-height: 115%;"><strong><em><span style="color: #741b47;">Hong says that these sensors could be used to
evaluate the quality of wine, coffee and perfume by standardizing and
quantifying their smells. Dogs have 220 million different smell receptors. But
there’s no need to make one sensor for each smell receptor in a dog’s nose,
Hong says. Perhaps scientists would need 10 to 20 different sensors that
correspond to the characteristic odors of the wine or coffee, he says.</span></em></strong></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: "Times New Roman","serif"; font-size: 12pt; line-height: 115%;"><span style="color: #741b47;"><span style="color: black;">Adapted from</span></span><span style="color: black;">: <span style="font-family: "Times New Roman","serif"; font-size: 12pt; line-height: 115%;"><a href="http://science.kqed.org/quest/2012/05/02/the-dogs-nose-knows-sensor-mimics-canine-sniffing-cells-for-smells/"><span style="color: blue;">http://science.kqed.org/quest/2012/05/02/the-dogs-nose-knows-sensor-mimics-canine-sniffing-cells-for-smells/</span></a>
</span></span></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: "Times New Roman","serif"; font-size: 12pt; line-height: 115%;"><span style="color: black;"><span style="font-family: "Times New Roman","serif"; font-size: 12pt; line-height: 115%;">Somehow, I cannot envision this potential simulator device being able to ever "wag its tail"....</span></span></span><br />
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<span style="font-family: "Times New Roman","serif"; font-size: 12pt; line-height: 115%;"><span style="font-size: x-large;"><strong><em><span style="color: #b45f06;">Dog Sniffs Out Deadly C. diff Infection<o:p></o:p></span></em></strong></span></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: "Times New Roman","serif"; font-size: 12pt; line-height: 115%;"><strong><em><span style="color: #b45f06;">Dec. 13, 2012 -- A 2-year-old beagle named Cliff may
hold the key to preventing an infection that kills thousands of Americans each
year.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>Researchers in the Netherlands
taught Cliff to sniff out the intestinal bacteria <u>Clostridium difficile</u> (C. difficile or C. diff) in stool samples
from infected patients and even from the patients themselves.</span></em></strong></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: "Times New Roman","serif"; font-size: 12pt; line-height: 115%;"><strong><em><span style="color: #b45f06;">C diff is commonly spread in hospitals and long-term
care centers, causing diarrhea that can be mild to life-threatening. It is
responsible for as many as 14,000 deaths in the U.S. each year, the CDC says. </span></em></strong></span><span style="font-family: "Times New Roman","serif"; font-size: 12pt; line-height: 115%;"><strong><em><span style="color: #b45f06;">The hope is that other dogs can be trained to
identify the infection far faster than it is found through current tests,
preventing potentially deadly outbreaks in these settings.</span></em></strong></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: "Times New Roman","serif"; font-size: 12pt; line-height: 115%;"><strong><em><span style="color: #b45f06;">“This study proves the concept, but we have to
confirm that this approach will be useful in the real-world setting,” says
researcher Marije K. Bomers, MD, of the VU University Medical Centre in
Amsterdam, Netherlands.</span></em></strong></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: "Times New Roman","serif"; font-size: 12pt; line-height: 115%;"><strong><em><span style="color: #b45f06;"><u>Dogs Can Smell Better</u></span></em></strong></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: "Times New Roman","serif"; font-size: 12pt; line-height: 115%;"><strong><em><span style="color: #b45f06;">Hospitalized older adults who have recently had a
course of antibiotics are most at risk for C. diff infections. </span></em></strong></span><span style="font-family: "Times New Roman","serif"; font-size: 12pt; line-height: 115%;"><strong><em><span style="color: #b45f06;">Early detection can prevent the spread in hospitals
and other care facilities, but current tests can take anywhere from two days to
up to a week to confirm infection, Bomers says.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;">
</span>She says the idea for the study came from the observation that the
diarrhea of patients with C. diff infections has a particular smell that she
and her colleagues could sometimes detect.</span></em></strong></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: "Times New Roman","serif"; font-size: 12pt; line-height: 115%;"><strong><em><span style="color: #b45f06;">It occurred to them that if humans could smell the
infection some of the time, then dogs, with their superior sense of smell,
should be able to smell it all the time.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;">
</span>To test the theory, they enlisted psychologist and dog trainer Hotsche
Luik, who was also Cliff’s owner. </span></em></strong></span><span style="font-family: "Times New Roman","serif"; font-size: 12pt; line-height: 115%;"><strong><em><span style="color: #b45f06;">Over two months, the beagle was taught to identify
the C. diff toxin in smaller and smaller quantities and in different samples,
including human stool.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>During one test,
he correctly identified 50 of 50 C. diff positive stool samples and 47 of 50
negative samples.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>In a separate test, he
was taken to two hospital wards to examine his ability to sniff out the
infection in patients.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>He correctly
identified C. diff in 25 of 30 infected patients. He also identified no
infection in 265 of 270 non-infected patients.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;">
</span>He completed this task in one of the wards in less than 10 minutes.</span></em></strong></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: "Times New Roman","serif"; font-size: 12pt; line-height: 115%;"><strong><em><span style="color: #b45f06;"><u>New Type of ‘Pet Scan’</u></span></em></strong></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: "Times New Roman","serif"; font-size: 12pt; line-height: 115%;"></span><span style="font-family: "Times New Roman","serif"; font-size: 12pt; line-height: 115%;"><strong><em><span style="color: #b45f06;">The researchers write that highly trained dogs like
Cliff may one day patrol hospital wards to seek out C. diff infection.</span></em></strong></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: "Times New Roman","serif"; font-size: 12pt; line-height: 115%;"><strong><em><span style="color: #b45f06;">“I love dogs. I think they are amazing,” says
infection disease specialist Bruce Hirsch, MD, of North Shore University
Hospital in Manhasset, N.Y. “But I’m not sure I see this being deployed in an
efficient way in a large hospital setting where there are many distractions.”<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>Despite his skepticism, Hirsch says the
research is definitely worth pursuing even though confirmation of the infection
has already been shortened from a few days to a few hours in many hospitals,
including his.</span></em></strong></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: "Times New Roman","serif"; font-size: 12pt; line-height: 115%;"><strong><em><span style="color: #b45f06;">“One big question for me is, ‘What else can a dog’s
amazing sensory apparatus be utilized to detect?'" he says. “There are
already studies suggesting that they can smell some cancers. There is no
telling what else they may be trained to sniff out.”</span></em></strong></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: "Times New Roman","serif"; font-size: 12pt; line-height: 115%;"><span style="color: #b45f06;"><span style="color: black;">Adapted from:</span> <span style="font-family: "Times New Roman","serif"; font-size: 12pt; line-height: 115%;"><a href="http://www.webmd.com/digestive-disorders/news/20121212/dog-sniffs-c-diff-infection"><span style="color: blue;">http://www.webmd.com/digestive-disorders/news/20121212/dog-sniffs-c-diff-infection</span></a><span style="color: black;">
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<span style="font-family: "Times New Roman","serif"; font-size: 12pt; line-height: 115%;"><span style="color: #b45f06;"><span style="font-family: "Times New Roman","serif"; font-size: 12pt; line-height: 115%;"><span style="color: black;">This account has a personal connection for me...one of the causes of death for my mother was C. diff, although diagnosing the infection wasn't the problem with her, but rather not being able to get the infection under control sooner.</span></span></span></span></div>
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<span style="color: #b45f06;"><div class="MsoNormal" style="margin: 0in 0in 10pt; text-align: center;">
<span style="font-family: "Times New Roman","serif"; font-size: 12pt; line-height: 115%;"><strong><span style="font-size: x-large;"><em><span style="color: #351c75;">Man’s best friend thwarts environmental </span></em></span></strong></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: "Times New Roman","serif"; font-size: 12pt; line-height: 115%;"><strong><span style="font-size: x-large;"><em><span style="color: #351c75;">enemies in
the Florida Everglades<o:p></o:p></span></em></span></strong></span></div>
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</span><span style="font-family: "Times New Roman","serif"; font-size: 12pt; line-height: 115%;"><strong><em><span style="color: #351c75;">Burmese pythons, released into the Florida
Everglades by irresponsible pet owners, have become a serious threat to birds
and mammals. But specially trained canines from Auburn University’s EcoDogs
program have been able to sniff out the invasive reptiles in places humans
overlook. </span></em></strong></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: "Times New Roman","serif"; font-size: 12pt; line-height: 115%;"><strong><em><span style="color: #351c75;">“Pythons are very cryptic,” said Christina Romagosa,
a research fellow at Auburn’s School of Forestry and Wildlife Sciences. “Their
pattern camouflages them very well in the grasses and things the snakes are
found in. People are quite limited because we can’t see them. But the dogs will
use their sense of smell to find the snakes.” </span></em></strong></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: "Times New Roman","serif"; font-size: 12pt; line-height: 115%;"><strong><em><span style="color: #351c75;">The EcoDogs program collaborated with several
government agencies, non-governmental organizations and educational
institutions on a pilot study involving six months of intense searches for
Burmese pythons in Everglades National Park. On average, the dogs were able to
locate snakes two-and-a-half times faster than humans. </span></em></strong></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: "Times New Roman","serif"; font-size: 12pt; line-height: 115%;"><strong><em><span style="color: #351c75;">“These dogs can be used as another tool in
biologists’ tool boxes to help them gather data to help out the environment,”
said Bart Rogers, an EcoDogs trainer. </span></em></strong></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: "Times New Roman","serif"; font-size: 12pt; line-height: 115%;"><strong><em><span style="color: #351c75;">In addition to locating nuisance animals, the
EcoDogs canines can sniff out traces of rare and endangered species and detect
fungus in tree roots deep underground.</span></em></strong></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: "Times New Roman","serif"; font-size: 12pt; line-height: 115%;"><strong><em><span style="color: #351c75;">“A person has to go out and take a sample from each
tree,” said Jason DeWitt, another EcoDogs trainer. “They don’t really know if a
tree has a fungus until it’s showing aboveground symptoms. </span></em></strong></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: "Times New Roman","serif"; font-size: 12pt; line-height: 115%;"><strong><em><span style="color: #351c75;">"With a dog, we can go in and find an initial
infection and tell them right away before they already have mortality in their
stand.” </span></em></strong></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: "Times New Roman","serif"; font-size: 12pt; line-height: 115%;"><strong><em><span style="color: #351c75;">Training is intense and requires a dog able to work
independently for long periods of time and motivated by a simple reward, such
as a game of fetch or tug-of-war. </span></em></strong></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: "Times New Roman","serif"; font-size: 12pt; line-height: 115%;"><strong><em><span style="color: #351c75;">“If we take the target odor that we’re looking for
and associate that with a reward, then it becomes a game for the dog and it’s
just really easy to work with them,” said trainer Lucas Epperson.</span></em></strong></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: "Times New Roman","serif"; font-size: 12pt; line-height: 115%;"><strong><em><span style="color: #351c75;">Once the dogs locate items, they’re trained to sit
down and point their snout toward the location. In the case of finding Burmese
pythons, the dogs have been trained to do this from a distance of five yards.
For their safety, the dogs are placed back in their kennel trucks before
professional snake handlers remove the pythons. </span></em></strong></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: "Times New Roman","serif"; font-size: 12pt; line-height: 115%;"><strong><em><span style="color: #351c75;">While many of the pythons discovered in the
Everglades were euthanized, some were tagged with radio tracking devices and
released for further study. Others were donated to the Nature Conservancy for
use in training personnel in how to catch snakes. </span></em></strong></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: "Times New Roman","serif"; font-size: 12pt; line-height: 115%;"></span><span style="font-family: "Times New Roman","serif"; font-size: 12pt; line-height: 115%;"><strong><em><span style="color: #351c75;">Dogs alone won’t eliminate the snake infestation in
the Everglades. However, researchers believe they could play a vital role in
locating, studying and ultimately controlling the problem there, as well as
environmental threats elsewhere. </span></em></strong></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin: 0in 0in 10pt;">
<span style="font-family: "Times New Roman","serif"; font-size: 12pt; line-height: 115%;"><strong><em><span style="color: #351c75;">“As a conservation biologist, one of the most
difficult aspects about my job is just finding the animal that I want to learn
more about,” said Todd Stuery, an assistant professor at Auburn’s School of
Forestry and Wildlife Sciences. “That’s where the dogs come in.”</span></em></strong></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin: 0in 0in 10pt;">
<span style="font-family: "Times New Roman","serif"; font-size: 12pt; line-height: 115%;"><span style="color: #351c75;"><span style="color: black;">Adapted from:</span> <span style="font-family: "Times New Roman","serif"; font-size: 12pt; line-height: 115%; mso-ansi-language: EN-US; mso-bidi-language: AR-SA; mso-fareast-font-family: Calibri; mso-fareast-language: EN-US; mso-fareast-theme-font: minor-latin;"><a href="http://www.foxnews.com/us/2012/03/01/mans-best-friend-thwarts-environmental-enemies-in-florida-everglades/?intcmp=spotlight"><span style="color: blue;">http://www.foxnews.com/us/2012/03/01/mans-best-friend-thwarts-environmental-enemies-in-florida-everglades/?intcmp=spotlight</span></a></span></span></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin: 0in 0in 10pt;">
<span style="font-family: "Times New Roman","serif"; font-size: 12pt; line-height: 115%;"><span style="color: #351c75;"><span style="font-family: "Times New Roman","serif"; font-size: 12pt; line-height: 115%; mso-ansi-language: EN-US; mso-bidi-language: AR-SA; mso-fareast-font-family: Calibri; mso-fareast-language: EN-US; mso-fareast-theme-font: minor-latin;">There is a really interesting video at this web site of a dog locating a python.</span></span></span><br />
<span style="font-family: "Times New Roman","serif"; font-size: 12pt; line-height: 115%;"><span style="color: #351c75;"><o:p> </o:p></span></span></div>
<span style="color: #351c75;"><div class="MsoNormal" style="margin: 0in 0in 10pt; text-align: center;">
<span style="font-family: "Times New Roman","serif"; font-size: 12pt; line-height: 115%;"><strong><span style="font-size: x-large;"><em><span style="color: #45818e;">How Do Dogs Sense Oncoming Storms?<o:p></o:p></span></em></span></strong></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin: 0in 0in 10pt;">
<span style="color: black;">
</span><span style="font-family: "Times New Roman","serif"; font-size: 12pt; line-height: 115%;"><strong><em><span style="color: #45818e;">By: Alex Lieber</span></em></strong></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin: 0in 0in 10pt;">
<span style="font-family: "Times New Roman","serif"; font-size: 12pt; line-height: 115%;"><strong><em><span style="color: #45818e;">A few clouds begin to gather overhead on what
otherwise is a sunny day. You wonder somewhat dreamily whether that
thunderstorm Channel 6 had been predicting will actually arrive. Your dog
already knows the answer, and he's getting frantic about it.</span></em></strong></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin: 0in 0in 10pt;">
<span style="font-family: "Times New Roman","serif"; font-size: 12pt; line-height: 115%;"><strong><em><span style="color: #45818e;">Dogs seem to have a sixth sense when it comes to
predicting storms. Long before the skies darken and the rain falls,
thunderstorm phobic dogs become agitated, fearful, and clingy. Before we know
that a storm is on its way, our dogs may have felt it, heard it, or even
smelled it.</span></em></strong></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin: 0in 0in 10pt;">
<span style="font-family: "Times New Roman","serif"; font-size: 12pt; line-height: 115%;"><strong><em><span style="color: #45818e;">How can they do this? And why aren't they doing the
weather on the news?</span></em></strong></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin: 0in 0in 10pt;">
<span style="font-family: "Times New Roman","serif"; font-size: 12pt; line-height: 115%;"><strong><em><span style="color: #45818e;">Canines are more sensitive to drops in barometric
pressure than humans. Barometric pressure is the pressure of the atmosphere. A
drop in pressure means that conditions may be ripe for a storm to develop. A
dog may learn to associate this pressure drop with the arrival of a storm.
Changes in the static electric field may trigger the same anticipation. Dogs
may also pick up the subtle vibrations that precede a storm. A small rumble may
be almost imperceptible to us, but not to a dog. </span></em></strong></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin: 0in 0in 10pt;">
<span style="font-family: "Times New Roman","serif"; font-size: 12pt; line-height: 115%;"><strong><em><span style="color: #45818e;">It is also possible for a dog to hear a storm. Dogs
can hear at much higher and lower frequencies than we do. A dog can hear a low
rumble that a person would miss. Another possibility is that dogs may smell
storms coming. Dogs' noses are so sensitive that they can detect concentrations
of chemicals in the low parts-per-million range. In fact, dogs' noses are said
to be more sensitive than a mass spectrometer. Lightning ionizes air with the
formation of ozone – which has a characteristic metallic smell. Perhaps dogs
detect this odor, or some other odor associated with the storm. <o:p></o:p></span></em></strong></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin: 0in 0in 10pt;">
<strong><em><span style="color: #45818e;">
<span style="font-family: "Times New Roman","serif"; font-size: 12pt; line-height: 115%; mso-ansi-language: EN-US; mso-bidi-language: AR-SA; mso-fareast-font-family: Calibri; mso-fareast-language: EN-US; mso-fareast-theme-font: minor-latin;">Finally, a dog may
learn to interpret darkened skies and cloud patterns with a storm. You may only
learn of the storms imminent arrival through observation of your dog's
behavior. For some dogs, thunderstorms are cataclysmic events. They are so
frightened by the storm that they may bark, hide, urinate, or defecate, and
some dogs become destructive, particularly when forced to endure a storm alone.
Others may react to the sound, but may remain relatively calm. The more anxious
the dog in thunderstorms, the more he may react before the storm actually
arrives.</span></span></em></strong></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin: 0in 0in 10pt;">
<span style="font-family: "Times New Roman","serif"; font-size: 12pt; line-height: 115%; mso-ansi-language: EN-US; mso-bidi-language: AR-SA; mso-fareast-font-family: Calibri; mso-fareast-language: EN-US; mso-fareast-theme-font: minor-latin;"><span style="color: black;">Adapted from: <span style="font-family: "Times New Roman","serif"; font-size: 12pt; line-height: 115%;"><a href="http://www.petplace.com/dogs/how-do-dogs-sense-oncoming-storms/page1.aspx?utm_source=dogcrazynews001et&utm_medium=email&utm_content=petplace_article&utm_campaign=dailynewsletter"><span style="color: blue;">http://www.petplace.com/dogs/how-do-dogs-sense-oncoming-storms/page1.aspx?utm_source=dogcrazynews001et&utm_medium=email&utm_content=petplace_article&utm_campaign=dailynewsletter</span></a>
<o:p></o:p></span></span></span></div>
<span style="color: black;"><div class="MsoNormal" style="margin: 0in 0in 10pt;">
</div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin: 0in 0in 10pt; text-align: center;">
<span style="font-family: "Times New Roman","serif"; font-size: 12pt; line-height: 115%;"><strong><em><span style="font-size: x-large;"><span style="color: #7f6000;">Dogs, humans team up to help eradicate Dyer's</span></span></em></strong></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin: 0in 0in 10pt; text-align: center;">
<span style="font-family: "Times New Roman","serif"; font-size: 12pt; line-height: 115%;"><strong><em><span style="font-size: x-large;"><span style="color: #7f6000;"> woad
in Montana</span></span></em></strong></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin: 0in 0in 10pt;">
<span style="font-family: "Times New Roman","serif"; font-size: 12pt; line-height: 115%;"><strong><em><span style="color: #7f6000;">A Labrador Retriever that's trained to find cadavers, and a
Border collie plucked from a Bozeman animal shelter are now helping rid Montana
of noxious weeds. </span></em></strong></span></div>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; margin: 0in 0in 10pt; text-align: left;">
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg4iE-HfKpB5CUTcHxcOca5WNb4Go8_22MedEWUw9HMrSGgZm_6JZr6MlKxq_QGvv3pP_9pAxXvcnGDJISdwLPXIaYiONUh4KvhdbVsmxYdhCZ03b-tDafdfZCrCgoTrMVtW7TxAnH_PC4/s1600/Dyer%2527s+Woad.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"></a><br /></div>
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg4iE-HfKpB5CUTcHxcOca5WNb4Go8_22MedEWUw9HMrSGgZm_6JZr6MlKxq_QGvv3pP_9pAxXvcnGDJISdwLPXIaYiONUh4KvhdbVsmxYdhCZ03b-tDafdfZCrCgoTrMVtW7TxAnH_PC4/s1600/Dyer%2527s+Woad.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg4iE-HfKpB5CUTcHxcOca5WNb4Go8_22MedEWUw9HMrSGgZm_6JZr6MlKxq_QGvv3pP_9pAxXvcnGDJISdwLPXIaYiONUh4KvhdbVsmxYdhCZ03b-tDafdfZCrCgoTrMVtW7TxAnH_PC4/s1600/Dyer%2527s+Woad.jpg" /></a><span style="font-family: "Times New Roman","serif"; font-size: 12pt; line-height: 115%;"><strong><em><span style="color: #7f6000;">Demonstrating her abilities on a frosty fall
morning, Wibaux the Labrador scrambled up a Montana mountain and soon detected
the scent of Dyer's woad over the smell of hikers, pets, deer, shrubs and other
plants. Shaking with excitement but true to her training, Wibaux circled the
weed, barked continually and finally sat down until her handler verified that
she had, indeed, found Dyer's woad. "Good dog. Good girl," Deb
Tirmenstein said as she handed Wibaux a biscuit. Tirmenstein marked the
location on her GPS unit and said she would return alone later to spray the
weed. It's a trip she has made many times since she, Wibaux and a Border collie
named Seamus joined the Dyer's woad project in 2011. </span></em></strong></span><br />
<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin: 0in 0in 10pt;">
<span style="font-family: "Times New Roman","serif"; font-size: 12pt; line-height: 115%;"><strong><em><span style="color: #7f6000;">The project grew out of
research conducted at Montana State University and has multiple goals,
according to weed experts at MSU, the University of Montana and Beaverhead
County. One goal is to completely eradicate Dyer's woad from Montana by using
dogs and humans together. Amber Burch, assistant weed coordinator for
Beaverhead County and coordinator of a statewide effort to fight Dyer's woad,
said the weed is native to southeast Russia and used to be cultivated in
England as a source of blue dye and medicine. It was first identified in
Montana in 1934. It is now classified as a Priority 1B Noxious Weed in Montana.
</span></em></strong></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin: 0in 0in 10pt;">
<span style="font-family: "Times New Roman","serif"; font-size: 12pt; line-height: 115%;"><strong><em><span style="color: #7f6000;">One Dyer's woad plant can grow four inches in a week and produce as many as
many as 10,000 seeds, Burch said. UM Natural Areas Specialist Marilyn Marler
said the roots sometimes go down for more than five feet. When blooming, the
plant can grow waist high. Noxious weeds compete with native plants and can
overrun pastures and wildlife habitat. Dyer's woad experts said the weed is
extremely widespread in Utah and eastern Idaho, but it is a good candidate for
eradication in Montana because it is far less widespread in this state. </span></em></strong></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin: 0in 0in 10pt;">
<span style="font-family: "Times New Roman","serif"; font-size: 12pt; line-height: 115%;"><strong><em><span style="color: #7f6000;">People are good at finding large flowering plants and large patches of
noxious weeds, but they can overlook individual weeds. Dogs work best in areas
of low-density, high priority weeds. They can smell Dyer's woad even when the
weed is a tiny rosette hidden by other types of plants. They can smell Dyer's
woad when it's underground and a mere fragment of a root. "Through our
research, we found they are able to detect twice as many small plants as the
surveyors do," Goodwin said. The third goal of the weed experts is to find
more locations for their applied weed-dog research. "We are interested in
determining how to turn this discovery into something useful for land
managers," Goodwin said. This year on Mount
Sentinel, the dogs detected about 40 locations that humans missed, Goodwin
said. The researchers discovered that by having humans look for Dyer's woad
first. A day or more later, the dogs covered the same area. By comparing those
numbers, they measured the dogs' usefulness. "It showed the dogs do have
utility," Goodwin said. Goodwin said she got the idea for using dogs to detect
noxious weeds after reading about the federal "Beagle Brigade." In
it, the USDA's Animal and Plant Health Inspection Service (APHIS) uses beagles
to inspect luggage and boxes at U.S. airports and ports of entry. Since dogs
also detect land mines and have been used for thousands of years to hunt, she
wanted to see if dogs could detect noxious weeds, too. Goodwin used German
shepherds in her master's degree research because of their intelligence and
scent-work experience, Goodwin said. The Mount Sentinel project shows that a
Labrador and Border collie can also detect noxious weeds. In this case, the
weeds are Dyer's woad. Goodwin's earlier research focused on spotted knapweed.
Wibaux was already trained to find human remains when she was recruited to detect
Dyer's woad, said her owner, Tirmenstein. She has searched for cadavers and has
assisted law enforcement in Montana, Washington, Idaho, Arkansas and elsewhere.
The training to detect cadavers, noxious weeds, narcotics and
scat is all very similar, she added. Trainers introduced Wibaux to Dyer's woad
by hiding the weed inside a box with holes in the lid and placing the box next
to boxes containing other weeds. When Wibaux realized she would receive a treat
or get to retrieve a ball every time she detected Dyer's woad, she started
honing in on it. Her training became longer and more complex until she was able
to detect Dyer's woad outdoors in a larger environment without getting
distracted or confused. Seamus came to Working Dogs for Conservation from Heart
of the Valley Animal Shelter in Gallatin County, Hurt said. Noting that only
one or two dogs in a thousand make good detection dogs, she said Seamus stood
out from the others because he was playful even when surrounded by chaos. A
closer look showed that he had other qualities that could be developed to make
him into a successful detection dog. "These dogs tend to be highly
energetic and easy to motivate with food or toys," Hurt explained. They
also don't mind seeking the same thing over and over. They love working with a
handler. They love rewards no matter if they receive them 60 times a day or
once. They aren't confused by competing scents. They aren't distracted.
"We are asking a lot of them, but they really love it," Hurt said.
"We work with dogs that need a job to be happy."</span></em></strong></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin: 0in 0in 10pt;">
<span style="font-family: "Times New Roman","serif"; font-size: 12pt; line-height: 115%;">Adapted from: <span style="font-family: "Times New Roman","serif"; font-size: 12pt; line-height: 115%; mso-ansi-language: EN-US; mso-bidi-language: AR-SA; mso-fareast-font-family: Calibri; mso-fareast-language: EN-US; mso-fareast-theme-font: minor-latin;"><a href="http://phys.org/news/2012-11-dogs-humans-team-eradicate-dyer.html"><span style="color: blue;">http://phys.org/news/2012-11-dogs-humans-team-eradicate-dyer.html</span></a></span></span><br />
<br />
<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin: 0in 0in 10pt; text-align: center;">
<span style="font-family: "Times New Roman","serif"; font-size: 12pt; line-height: 115%;"><strong><span style="font-size: x-large;"><em><span style="color: #38761d;">Dogs help researchers track turtles<o:p></o:p></span></em></span></strong></span></div>
<br />
<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin: 0in 0in 10pt;">
<span style="font-family: "Times New Roman","serif"; font-size: 12pt; line-height: 115%;"><strong><em><span style="color: #38761d;">It's sunny and cool morning in a quiet,
mostly empty campground.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;">
</span>John Rucker sits at a picnic table next to his tent eating his usual
in-the-field breakfast of oats and raisins. His turtle-hunting dogs spent the
night close by in makeshift pens in the back of Rucker's well-worn 1992 red
minivan that's logged more than 400,000 miles across 10 states, carrying Rucker
and his dogs to various turtle-hunting jobs. </span></em></strong></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin: 0in 0in 10pt;">
<span style="font-family: "Times New Roman","serif"; font-size: 12pt; line-height: 115%;"><strong><em><span style="color: #38761d;">Sometimes oats are also lunch and supper for Rucker.
It's difficult to take eight Boykin Spaniels to a local restaurant or hotel. So
Rucker, who prefers "a tent to anything," makes do at local
campgrounds, like the one at Kickapoo where he's spent the last three nights
with little more than a tent, his van, a little food, a couple water
containers, a few bags of clothes and a guitar.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;">
</span>"That's the key," he says of the guitar. "I couldn't stay
alone this long on the road without it. It keeps me company." </span></em></strong></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin: 0in 0in 10pt;">
<span style="font-family: "Times New Roman","serif"; font-size: 12pt; line-height: 115%;"><strong><em><span style="color: #38761d;">Since Sunday, he and the dogs have been spending
their days helping researchers from the University of Illinois' College of
Veterinary Medicine and the Illinois State Natural History Survey find Eastern
Box Turtles at two different parks in Vermilion County.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>Rucker and his dogs are in demand because the
high-energy, eager-to-please dogs can find more turtles in a shorter amount of
time than a team of people. He says the beauty of Boykins is they don't mind
thickets, don't overheat easily and have small heads with weak jaws that don't
hurt the turtles.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>Of the 46 box turtles
the search team marked since Sunday, the dogs found 42. Their record, Rucker
says, was 70 Ornate Box Turtles in one day near Savanna. </span></em></strong></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin: 0in 0in 10pt;">
<span style="font-family: "Times New Roman","serif"; font-size: 12pt; line-height: 115%;"><span style="color: #38761d;"><strong><em>The dark, wavy-haired, bird-dog-bred Boykins use
their natural hunting and retrieving abilities to track the scent of box
turtles, gently clasping their dome-shaped shells in their mouths and
delivering them to Rucker, or the nearest member of the search team, just for
praise. Rucker doesn't reward with bones.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;">
</span>"They start hunting for the treat, not the game," says Rucker,
who describes himself as an old bird-dog man. In his 64 years, he says, he has
always had dogs at the center of his life. </em></strong></span><span style="color: black;"><span style="font-family: "Times New Roman","serif"; font-size: 12pt; line-height: 115%; mso-ansi-language: EN-US; mso-bidi-language: AR-SA; mso-fareast-font-family: Calibri; mso-fareast-language: EN-US; mso-fareast-theme-font: minor-latin;"><strong><em><span style="color: #38761d;">Rucker waits at the campground each morning for
Matt Allender, an instructor at the UI College of Veterinary Medicine, who
leads him to the day's hunting spot.</span></em></strong><span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span></span></span></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin: 0in 0in 10pt;">
<span style="font-family: "Times New Roman","serif"; font-size: 12pt; line-height: 115%;"><strong><em><span style="color: #38761d;">At the day's hunt site, Rucker is equipped with only
a few worn leashes wrapped around his waist and divides the dogs into two teams
of four, the A team — the better hunters — and a B team. The A team always
starts the day. The dogs fan out across the woods, noses to the ground, with
Rucker and the rest of the search team following, constantly encouraging the
dogs to "find turtles." </span></em></strong></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin: 0in 0in 10pt;">
<span style="font-family: "Times New Roman","serif"; font-size: 12pt; line-height: 115%;"><strong><em><span style="color: #38761d;">When they do, team members take the turtles from the
dogs and mark the spot with handheld GPS devices and a ribbon, so the students
can return the turtles to the exact spot later in the day after blood samples
and other information are gathered.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>After
successful hunts the first three days, finding more than 40 turtles, the last
day proves to be slow-going. Allender, who's been on hunts with the dogs many
times, believes "it's a turtle thing," not the dogs. The search area
has been very dry this spring, he says, which may have caused the turtles to
move elsewhere. </span></em></strong></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin: 0in 0in 10pt;">
<span style="font-family: "Times New Roman","serif"; font-size: 12pt; line-height: 115%;"><strong><em><span style="color: #38761d;">Rucker says there will be days like this — some low,
some high — but if the dogs average a dozen turtles a day for a job, then he
feels he's earning his pay. </span></em></strong></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin: 0in 0in 10pt;">
<span style="font-family: "Times New Roman","serif"; font-size: 12pt; line-height: 115%;"><strong><em><span style="color: #38761d;">Allender says his goal was to find 32 to 40 turtles
in the four-day event, and they found 46. He says it's been tremendous to
expand their information on the turtles, and the dogs were an integral part of
their conservation efforts. Allender says the dogs will be back in June to
continue the work. </span></em></strong></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin: 0in 0in 10pt;">
<span style="font-family: "Times New Roman","serif"; font-size: 12pt; line-height: 115%;"><strong><em><span style="color: #38761d;">"It's just remarkable to have the dogs help us
with something so close to home," he says.</span></em></strong></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin: 0in 0in 10pt;">
<span style="font-family: "Times New Roman","serif"; font-size: 12pt; line-height: 115%;"><span style="color: black;">Adapted from: <span style="font-family: "Times New Roman","serif"; font-size: 12pt; line-height: 115%;"><a href="http://www.news-gazette.com/news/education/2012-05-24/dogs-help-researchers-track-turtles.html"><span style="color: blue;">http://www.news-gazette.com/news/education/2012-05-24/dogs-help-researchers-track-turtles.html</span></a>
</span></span></span><br />
</div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin: 0in 0in 10pt; text-align: center;">
<span style="font-family: "Times New Roman","serif"; font-size: 12pt; line-height: 115%;"><span style="color: black;"><span style="font-family: "Times New Roman","serif"; font-size: 12pt; line-height: 115%;"><span style="font-family: "Times New Roman","serif"; font-size: 12pt; line-height: 115%;"><strong><span style="font-size: x-large;"><em><span style="color: #990000;">Why Dogs Really Do Feel Your Pain</span></em></span></strong></span></span></span></span></div>
<span style="color: black;"></span><br />
<span style="color: black;"></span><br />
<span style="color: black;"></span><br />
<span style="color: black;"><div class="MsoNormal" style="margin: 0in 0in 10pt; text-align: center;">
<span style="font-family: "Times New Roman","serif"; font-size: 12pt; line-height: 115%;"><strong><em><span style="color: #990000;">Comforting distressed humans may be hardwired in
dogs' brains</span></em></strong></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin: 0in 0in 10pt;">
<span style="font-family: "Times New Roman","serif"; font-size: 12pt; line-height: 115%;"><strong><em><span style="color: #990000;">Dogs may empathize with humans more than any other
animal, including humans themselves, several new studies suggest.</span></em></strong></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin: 0in 0in 10pt;">
<span style="font-family: "Times New Roman","serif"; font-size: 12pt; line-height: 115%;"><strong><em><span style="color: #990000;">The latest research, published in the journal Animal
Cognition, found that pet dogs may truly be man (or woman's) best friend if a
person is in distress. That distressed individual does not even have to be someone
the dog knows.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>"I think there is
good reason to suspect dogs would be more sensitive to human emotion than other
species," co-author Deborah Custance told Discovery News. "We have
domesticated dogs over a long period of time. We have selectively bred them to
act as our companions."</span></em></strong></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: "Times New Roman","serif"; font-size: 12pt; line-height: 115%;"><strong><em><span style="color: #990000;">"Thus," she added," those dogs that
responded sensitively to our emotional cues may have been the individuals that
we would be more likely to keep as pets and breed from."</span></em></strong></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: "Times New Roman","serif"; font-size: 12pt; line-height: 115%;"><strong><em><span style="color: #990000;">Custance and colleague Jennifer Mayer, both from the
Department of Psychology at the University of London Goldsmiths College,
exposed 18 pet dogs -- representing different ages and breeds -- to four
separate 20-second human encounters. The human participants included the dogs'
owners as well as strangers.</span></em></strong></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: "Times New Roman","serif"; font-size: 12pt; line-height: 115%;"><strong><em><span style="color: #990000;">The majority of the dogs comforted the person, owner
or not, when that individual was pretending to cry. The dogs acted submissive
as they nuzzled and licked the person, the canine version of "there
there." Custance and Mayer say this behavior is consistent with empathic
concern and the offering of comfort.</span></em></strong></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: "Times New Roman","serif"; font-size: 12pt; line-height: 115%;"><strong><em><span style="color: #990000;">As for what could be going on in the dog's head, yet
another recent study, published in PLoS ONE, showed how the brains of dogs
react as the canines view humans. In this case, the researchers trained dogs to
respond to hand signals that meant the pups would receive a hot dog treat.
Another signal meant no such treat was coming.</span></em></strong></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: "Times New Roman","serif"; font-size: 12pt; line-height: 115%;"><strong><em><span style="color: #990000;">The caudate region of the dogs' brains, an area
associated with rewards in humans, showed activation when the canines knew a
tasty food treat was coming.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>"These
results indicate that dogs pay very close attention to human signals,"
lead researcher Gregory Berns, director of the Emory Center for Neuropolicy,
explained. "And these signals may have a direct line to the dog's reward system."</span></em></strong></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: "Times New Roman","serif"; font-size: 12pt; line-height: 115%;"><strong><em><span style="color: #990000;">In that study, the reward was food, but Custance and
Mayer think canines over the thousands of years of domestication have been
rewarded so much for approaching distressed human companions that this may
somehow be hardwired into today's dogs.</span></em></strong></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: "Times New Roman","serif"; font-size: 12pt; line-height: 115%;"></span><span style="font-family: "Times New Roman","serif"; font-size: 12pt; line-height: 115%;"><strong><em><span style="color: #990000;">The phenomenon in some cases could even have a
subconscious element. Consider what happens when a person yawns and a dog is in
the room.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>"Dogs show contagious
yawning to human yawns," Matthew Campbell, an assistant professor in
Georgia State University's Department of Psychology, told Discovery News.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>He said that "we have selected dogs to
be in tune with us emotionally."</span></em></strong></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: "Times New Roman","serif"; font-size: 12pt; line-height: 115%;"><strong><em><span style="color: #990000;">Custance and Mayer next hope to determine how
empathetic wolves may be.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>"It would
be interesting to see how wolves who have been raised in human households would
respond if they took part in our experiment," Custance said. "Would
they behave like domestic dogs or show less response to a crying human? It
would be fascinating to find out."</span></em></strong></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: "Times New Roman","serif"; font-size: 12pt; line-height: 115%;">Adapted from: <span style="font-family: "Times New Roman","serif"; font-size: 12pt; line-height: 115%;"><a href="http://news.discovery.com/animals/dogs-empathy-humans-120831.html"><span style="color: blue;">http://news.discovery.com/animals/dogs-empathy-humans-120831.html</span></a>
</span></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: "Times New Roman","serif"; font-size: 12pt; line-height: 115%;"><span style="font-family: "Times New Roman","serif"; font-size: 12pt; line-height: 115%;">Let's finish this up with a couple of examples of dogs being inside moving vehicles...sometimes as drivers and sometimes as a passenger. You decide if this isn't the darnedest thing....</span></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: "Times New Roman","serif"; font-size: 12pt; line-height: 115%;"><span style="font-family: "Times New Roman","serif"; font-size: 12pt; line-height: 115%;">This video of a dog being trained how to drive a car will give you a few chuckles: </span></span><span style="font-family: "Times New Roman","serif"; font-size: 12pt; line-height: 115%;"><span style="font-family: "Times New Roman","serif"; font-size: 12pt; line-height: 115%;"><span style="font-family: "Times New Roman","serif"; font-size: 12pt; line-height: 115%;"><a href="http://www.evtv1.com/video/Dogs_Driving_Cars.aspx"><span style="color: blue;">http://www.evtv1.com/video/Dogs_Driving_Cars.aspx</span></a>
</span></span></span><br />
<span style="font-family: "Times New Roman","serif"; font-size: 12pt; line-height: 115%;"><span style="font-family: "Times New Roman","serif"; font-size: 12pt; line-height: 115%;"><span style="font-family: "Times New Roman","serif"; font-size: 12pt; line-height: 115%;"> </span></span></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: "Times New Roman","serif"; line-height: 115%;"><strong><span style="color: #bf9000; font-size: x-large;"><em>This couple's dog is pretty clear on who's the
</em></span></strong></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: "Times New Roman","serif"; line-height: 115%;"><strong><span style="color: #bf9000; font-size: x-large;"><em>better driver</em></span></strong></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: "Times New Roman","serif"; font-size: 12pt; line-height: 115%;"><strong><em><span style="color: #bf9000;">Dogs really are a man's best friend, especially when
he's driving. Redditor Zarmostill posted this side-by-side pic of what he says
is his pooch in the car when his wife is driving and when he's behind the
wheel. According to Zarmostill, "My wife believes she is a better driver,
I let our dog decide." Maybe it's the sight of a rival canine in the
distance that has his dog looking so alarmed in the photo and not his wife's
driving skills (or lack thereof). But if not, the photographic proof is quite
damning. Everyone knows dogs never lie.</span></em></strong></span></div>
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgNHUNNXL4zgk-ClJmtuO7zphGpczojHi_z3WsRWMEEYGH9LNYOYEipVR79U59uQ2y1ZCFIcydxwrx8c8q6M5SWsp0YYE4oTNMCpfjWhYZvyReq6SUm9_ismRtwzVcTEOvvSYqf5gJ4Los/s1600/Dogs+and+Drivers.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="161" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgNHUNNXL4zgk-ClJmtuO7zphGpczojHi_z3WsRWMEEYGH9LNYOYEipVR79U59uQ2y1ZCFIcydxwrx8c8q6M5SWsp0YYE4oTNMCpfjWhYZvyReq6SUm9_ismRtwzVcTEOvvSYqf5gJ4Los/s320/Dogs+and+Drivers.jpg" width="320" /></a></div>
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<span style="color: black;">You be the judge....</span></div>
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<span style="color: black;"><span style="font-family: "Times New Roman","serif"; font-size: 12pt; line-height: 115%;"><span style="color: black;">Adapted from: <span style="font-family: "Times New Roman","serif"; font-size: 12pt; line-height: 115%;"><a href="http://now.msn.com/dog-prefers-husbands-driving-according-to-photo"><span style="color: blue;">http://now.msn.com/dog-prefers-husbands-driving-according-to-photo</span></a>
</span></span></span>
</span></div>
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<span style="font-family: "Times New Roman","serif"; font-size: 12pt; line-height: 115%;"><span style="color: black;"><span style="font-family: "Times New Roman","serif"; font-size: 12pt; line-height: 115%;">Now, as you sit there in your comfortable den with your favorite dog cuddling against you, remember that your pooch maybe can do the darnedest things, in addition to being ornery, stubborn, or smelly.</span></span></span><br />
<br />
Helpful Buckeye would like to thank all of our readers who sent e-mails saying they really liked the Pet Snack Recipes from last week's issue of <strong><span style="color: #990000;">Questions On Dogs and Cats</span></strong>...just remember that your pets would probably enjoy them too! Also, many of you reported that your dogs and/or cats do seem to be calmed by light classical music or even some of the smooth jazz that is popular right now. Janey, from Bakersfield, CA, wrote that she had wondered why her normally quiet Basset Hound would periodically howl for no apparent reason...only to find that, upon further observation, it mostly happened when she was playing Led Zeppelin at high volumes.<br />
<br />
Send any questions or comments to: <a href="mailto:dogcatvethelp@gmail.com">dogcatvethelp@gmail.com</a> or submit them in the comment section at the end of this issue. </div>
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<span style="font-family: "Times New Roman","serif"; font-size: 12pt; line-height: 115%;"><span style="color: black;"><span style="font-family: "Times New Roman","serif"; font-size: 12pt; line-height: 115%;"><strong><span style="font-size: x-large;">SPORTS NEWS</span></strong></span></span></span></div>
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiZNch4mljgkINHZszPY37720vjp1WHhoWBq8054Fpd2Atb-qMws3GefUw-hpNeg0n8ejRlBIYVmImsGMpZNJBlXTZ-pKGuRvTbm0u6vAdKJaaCk1zyIvbb2hcqYAL8qbenrmrVBfvSB1w/s1600/sports+balls.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiZNch4mljgkINHZszPY37720vjp1WHhoWBq8054Fpd2Atb-qMws3GefUw-hpNeg0n8ejRlBIYVmImsGMpZNJBlXTZ-pKGuRvTbm0u6vAdKJaaCk1zyIvbb2hcqYAL8qbenrmrVBfvSB1w/s1600/sports+balls.jpg" /></a>Since the<strong> <span style="background-color: #f1c232;">Pittsburgh Steelers</span> </strong>are not going to be in the NFL playoffs, Helpful Buckeye is carefully looking at several of the teams that did make the playoffs in order to pick 1 or 2 of them to cheer for. I'll name them next week. The Steelers really need to make some drastic changes to their whole football process. For a supposedly championship-level franchise, they were putrid on several levels this year.</div>
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Now, I have college basketball to look forward to, followed by Major League Baseball, which begins spring training in mid-February. I'm already looking at seeing a few <strong><span style="background-color: #eeeeee; color: blue;">LA Dodgers</span></strong> spring training games in March with some of my baseball buddies. </div>
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<span style="font-family: "Times New Roman","serif"; font-size: 12pt; line-height: 115%;"><span style="color: black;"><span style="font-family: "Times New Roman","serif"; font-size: 12pt; line-height: 115%;"><strong><span style="font-size: x-large;">PERSONAL STUFF</span></strong></span></span></span><br />
<span style="font-family: "Times New Roman","serif"; font-size: 12pt; line-height: 115%;"><span style="color: black;"><span style="font-family: "Times New Roman","serif"; font-size: 12pt; line-height: 115%;">Desperado and Helpful Buckeye feel fortunate to have enjoyed a good year in 2012. There were a few health considerations to be addressed but the good far outweighed the not-so-good this year. We made several new friends, we started watching some new TV programs (Mad Men, Downton Abbey, Doc Martin, Boardwalk Empire, The Killing, Longmire, William & Mary, Deadwood, and the Wallander series), we took several short, 2-3 day, trips to interesting new places, and we found some new hikes that have beautiful trails.</span></span></span><br />
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgmxBLpACbzOprrLXJHjGOVZc5ilzZWTe9SO6amJe63hzfxHILxd_7_7ZdfDx1GQLZAwaO4f4d_tjLv_umx7INoOa8iB5attJf6lYGE5AV67ozV7w_8o6s8Ec2E8tLg3Of0_RRvJHY5MQc/s1600/Hiker+Silhouette.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"></a><br /></div>
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgmxBLpACbzOprrLXJHjGOVZc5ilzZWTe9SO6amJe63hzfxHILxd_7_7ZdfDx1GQLZAwaO4f4d_tjLv_umx7INoOa8iB5attJf6lYGE5AV67ozV7w_8o6s8Ec2E8tLg3Of0_RRvJHY5MQc/s1600/Hiker+Silhouette.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgmxBLpACbzOprrLXJHjGOVZc5ilzZWTe9SO6amJe63hzfxHILxd_7_7ZdfDx1GQLZAwaO4f4d_tjLv_umx7INoOa8iB5attJf6lYGE5AV67ozV7w_8o6s8Ec2E8tLg3Of0_RRvJHY5MQc/s1600/Hiker+Silhouette.jpg" /></a><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhg189S3CodZQhL4C5u0krEjh9tn_7su2H0QefCwmdaUSJ4KzRccU_EBv9pQA7tRevOjiiCQB7UwqSA0UAt03ugaDYQ2mshOK7FxgpARDX4OKe5w-Ct4_W8MTHJ0AAsUrIXlhO0p0jiklc/s1600/Biker+Silhouette3.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhg189S3CodZQhL4C5u0krEjh9tn_7su2H0QefCwmdaUSJ4KzRccU_EBv9pQA7tRevOjiiCQB7UwqSA0UAt03ugaDYQ2mshOK7FxgpARDX4OKe5w-Ct4_W8MTHJ0AAsUrIXlhO0p0jiklc/s1600/Biker+Silhouette3.jpg" /></a>Helpful Buckeye took part in 3 athletic endeavors that provided thrilling out-of-town opportunities. Riding my mountain bike over Vail Pass (11,000 ft.) up in the Colorado Rockies was exhilarating, hiking the Grand Canyon from the South Rim to the North Rim (24 miles) was dicey and at times a bit dangerous, and riding my mountain bike in the 60-mile portion of the Tour de Tucson was the most exciting athletic event I've ever done. What 2013 holds for me remains to be seen but I've got a bunch of really good challenges I'm considering. I set a personal record for total bike miles for the year in 2012. My previous record was 5204 miles and I surpassed that by 40 miles for a total of 5244. As I've said before, it keeps my cholesterol at normal levels and allows me to pretty much eat what I want.<br />
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjBiH2_jYsIm8Dplr2FWshYnpLL_k-UA7JqdaaYJHfYvqY46rQy5FM2jUSFcOHC2qNN_53HTOY-WSU3vAB-rH4otXOkLY8igETV3Xqo1Be6I6NHR0mQ9tSZTWfFah7-LFcPY1Xuqj3M6qo/s1600/Dog+reading.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjBiH2_jYsIm8Dplr2FWshYnpLL_k-UA7JqdaaYJHfYvqY46rQy5FM2jUSFcOHC2qNN_53HTOY-WSU3vAB-rH4otXOkLY8igETV3Xqo1Be6I6NHR0mQ9tSZTWfFah7-LFcPY1Xuqj3M6qo/s1600/Dog+reading.jpg" /></a></div>
It was a good year on the reading front as well...I read 10 more books this year than in 2011 (a total of 69), including 20 new authors. I've had to look for new authors since a lot of the authors I've been reading over the years have either retired from the craft or passed away. Most of these new additions appear to be "keepers" for me.<br />
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Thanks again for giving me the opportunity to show up on your computer screen once a week this past year. I've appreciated all the feedback our readers have offered. Hopefully 2013 will be a very good year for all of us and that we will be capable of taking advantage of opportunities that are presented to us.<br />
<br />
Desperado and Helpful Buckeye are looking forward to being in downtown Flagstaff on New Year's Eve for dinner and the annual pine cone drop with some of our friends.<br />
<br />
I'll leave you with some really good advice from a newsletter that my athletic club sends out:<br />
<br />
<b style="mso-bidi-font-weight: normal;"><em>Each January many of us take the
opportunity to reflect on the past year and look forward to the year ahead. We
consider where we've been and where we're going. It's a time to analyze and
visualize. For some it's a call to set goals, for others it's an opportunity to
celebrate progress, and there's no reason it can't be both. Regardless of how
you approach the New Year's arrival, here are a number of ideas for making the
best of this time for reflection and projection:<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span><o:p></o:p></em></b><br />
<em>
</em><br />
<b style="mso-bidi-font-weight: normal;"><em><u>Goals</u> <o:p></o:p></em></b><br />
<em>
</em><br />
<b style="mso-bidi-font-weight: normal;"><em>Exercise in new ways <o:p></o:p></em></b><br />
<em>
</em><br />
<b style="mso-bidi-font-weight: normal;"><em>Get better at something <o:p></o:p></em></b><br />
<em>
</em><br />
<b style="mso-bidi-font-weight: normal;"><em>Overcome a fear or push outside your
comfort zone <o:p></o:p></em></b><br />
<em>
</em><br />
<b style="mso-bidi-font-weight: normal;"><em>Schedule that appointment you've been
dreading or putting off <o:p></o:p></em></b><br />
<em>
</em><br />
<b style="mso-bidi-font-weight: normal;"><em>Decide to be more positive about some
category of situations<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span><o:p></o:p></em></b><br />
<em>
</em><br />
<b style="mso-bidi-font-weight: normal;"><u><em>Celebrations <o:p></o:p></em></u></b><br />
<em>
</em><br />
<b style="mso-bidi-font-weight: normal;"><em>Give yourself a pat on the back for
all you endure <o:p></o:p></em></b><br />
<em>
</em><br />
<b style="mso-bidi-font-weight: normal;"><em>Thank your friends and family members
for helping you through <o:p></o:p></em></b><br />
<em>
</em><br />
<b style="mso-bidi-font-weight: normal;"><em>Take a much-needed break and pamper
yourself<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span><o:p></o:p></em></b><br />
<em>
</em><br />
<b style="mso-bidi-font-weight: normal;"><em>Whatever you do, take some time to
listen to yourself. Hear what it is your inner person needs, whether it be
challenge or comfort, and do something meaningful to feed that craving.</em><span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span><o:p></o:p></b><br />
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<em><span style="color: black;">~~The goal of this blog is to
provide general information and advice to help you be a better pet owner and to
have a more rewarding relationship with your pet. This blog does not intend to
replace the professional one-on-one care your pet receives from a practicing
veterinarian. When in doubt about your pet's health, always visit a
veterinarian.~~<o:p></o:p></span></em></div>
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<span style="font-family: "Times New Roman","serif"; font-size: 12pt; line-height: 115%; mso-ansi-language: EN-US; mso-bidi-language: AR-SA; mso-fareast-font-family: Calibri; mso-fareast-language: EN-US; mso-fareast-theme-font: minor-latin;"><span style="font-family: "Times New Roman","serif"; font-size: 12pt; line-height: 115%;"></span></span><br />
<span style="font-family: "Times New Roman","serif"; font-size: 12pt; line-height: 115%; mso-ansi-language: EN-US; mso-bidi-language: AR-SA; mso-fareast-font-family: Calibri; mso-fareast-language: EN-US; mso-fareast-theme-font: minor-latin;"><span style="font-family: "Times New Roman","serif"; font-size: 12pt; line-height: 115%;"></span> </span>Helpful Buckeyehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/18134633849820948837noreply@blogger.com0United States34.452218472826537 -111.445312521.53083497282654 -132.09960949999999 47.373601972826535 -90.7910155tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-16663019142577616.post-18294780485126699522012-12-24T00:00:00.000-07:002012-12-24T05:08:01.033-07:00MUSIC IS THE DOCTOR<br />
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgraTqwUk27GMn0qr9tSXUDBe52X72v_VM4o6o21O6s15jSB5vay5mJnxHjDiHBqE480EHGrcPVft8AIP_SxIvkVyxWy1DjI_6sVuViYgpk91yXLICSowtcOzNFB_OAmaIjArJ5t0Q8ZRA/s1600/Christmas.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="131" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgraTqwUk27GMn0qr9tSXUDBe52X72v_VM4o6o21O6s15jSB5vay5mJnxHjDiHBqE480EHGrcPVft8AIP_SxIvkVyxWy1DjI_6sVuViYgpk91yXLICSowtcOzNFB_OAmaIjArJ5t0Q8ZRA/s320/Christmas.jpg" width="320" /></a></div>
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<span style="font-family: "Times New Roman","serif"; mso-ansi-language: EN-US; mso-bidi-language: AR-SA; mso-fareast-font-family: "Times New Roman"; mso-fareast-language: EN-US;"><strong><span style="color: #cc0000;"><span style="font-size: large;">“Christmas is not a time nor a season, but a state of
mind.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span></span></span></strong></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: "Times New Roman","serif"; mso-ansi-language: EN-US; mso-bidi-language: AR-SA; mso-fareast-font-family: "Times New Roman"; mso-fareast-language: EN-US;"><strong><span style="color: #cc0000;"><span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"></span><span style="font-size: large;">To cherish peace and goodwill, to
be plenteous, </span></span></strong></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: "Times New Roman","serif"; mso-ansi-language: EN-US; mso-bidi-language: AR-SA; mso-fareast-font-family: "Times New Roman"; mso-fareast-language: EN-US;"><strong><span style="color: #cc0000; font-size: large;">is to have the real spirit of Christmas.”</span></strong><span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> <strong> </strong></span></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: "Times New Roman","serif"; font-size: 12pt; mso-ansi-language: EN-US; mso-bidi-language: AR-SA; mso-fareast-font-family: "Times New Roman"; mso-fareast-language: EN-US;"><span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"></span></span> </div>
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<span style="font-family: "Times New Roman","serif"; font-size: 12pt; mso-ansi-language: EN-US; mso-bidi-language: AR-SA; mso-fareast-font-family: "Times New Roman"; mso-fareast-language: EN-US;"><span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"></span><strong>Calvin Coolidge, U.S. President, 1923-1929</strong></span></div>
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Coolidge may not have been the best President we ever had but he sure did have a good sense of the full meaning of our Christmas holiday. Helpful Buckeye extends best wishes to all of our readers (and their pets) that they might enjoy the wonderful Holiday spirit of being with family and special friends.<br />
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<b style="mso-bidi-font-weight: normal;"><span style="color: #38761d; font-size: large;">Whatever is beautiful.</span></b></div>
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<b style="mso-bidi-font-weight: normal;"><span style="color: #38761d; font-size: large;">Whatever is meaningful,</span></b></div>
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<b style="mso-bidi-font-weight: normal;"><span style="color: #38761d; font-size: large;">Whatever brings you happiness.....</span></b></div>
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<b style="mso-bidi-font-weight: normal;"><span style="color: #38761d;"><span style="font-size: large;">May it be yours this Holiday Season.<o:p></o:p></span></span></b></div>
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<strong>Anonymous, Traditional Blessing</strong><br />
<strong></strong> </div>
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This Christmas weekend issue of <strong><span style="color: #990000;">Questions On Dogs and Cats</span></strong> will share some Holiday spirit with you, featuring some recipes for Holiday treats for your dogs and cats as well as some "singing" dogs and cats. The "educational" part of the issue will deal with the long-standing question of whether or not music, in any form, means anything to your pets. Enjoy....<br />
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<span style="font-family: "Times New Roman","serif"; font-size: 12pt; line-height: 115%;"><strong><span style="font-size: x-large;"><em><span style="color: #cc0000;">Baking For the Holidays for Your Dog<o:p></o:p></span></em></span></strong></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: "Times New Roman","serif"; font-size: 12pt; line-height: 115%;"><strong><em><span style="color: #cc0000;">The holidays are around the corner! Are you planning
what you will be cooking and baking for family and friends? If so, here are
great recipes for your pooch too!</span></em></strong></span></div>
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<u><span style="font-family: "Times New Roman","serif"; font-size: 12pt; line-height: 115%;"><strong><em><span style="color: #cc0000;">Noel Nibbles</span></em></strong></span></u></div>
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<span style="font-family: "Times New Roman","serif"; font-size: 12pt; line-height: 115%;"><strong><em><span style="color: #cc0000;">2 tablespoons honey</span></em></strong></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: "Times New Roman","serif"; font-size: 12pt; line-height: 115%;"><strong><em><span style="color: #cc0000;">3 cups whole-wheat flour</span></em></strong></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: "Times New Roman","serif"; font-size: 12pt; line-height: 115%;"><strong><em><span style="color: #cc0000;">1 cups white flour</span></em></strong></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: "Times New Roman","serif"; font-size: 12pt; line-height: 115%;"><strong><em><span style="color: #cc0000;">1 tablespoon baking powder</span></em></strong></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: "Times New Roman","serif"; font-size: 12pt; line-height: 115%;"><strong><em><span style="color: #cc0000;">1 tablespoon cinnamon</span></em></strong></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: "Times New Roman","serif"; font-size: 12pt; line-height: 115%;"><strong><em><span style="color: #cc0000;">1 tablespoon nutmeg</span></em></strong></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: "Times New Roman","serif"; font-size: 12pt; line-height: 115%;"><strong><em><span style="color: #cc0000;">2 3/4 cups water</span></em></strong></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: "Times New Roman","serif"; font-size: 12pt; line-height: 115%;"><strong><em><span style="color: #cc0000;">1/4 cup unsweetened chunky applesauce</span></em></strong></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: "Times New Roman","serif"; font-size: 12pt; line-height: 115%;"><strong><em><span style="color: #cc0000;">1 egg, slightly beaten</span></em></strong></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: "Times New Roman","serif"; font-size: 12pt; line-height: 115%;"><strong><em><span style="color: #cc0000;">1/2 cup coarsely chopped peanuts</span></em></strong></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: "Times New Roman","serif"; font-size: 12pt; line-height: 115%;"><strong><em><span style="color: #cc0000;">Preheat oven to 350 degree Fahrenheit. In a bowl,
mix together honey, flour, baking powder, cinnamon and nutmeg. Add water,
applesauce and egg and stir, mixing well. Add nuts. Spoon into a greased muffin
tin, filling each cup two-thirds full. Bake for 30 to 35 minutes until lightly
browned. Cool on a rack and store in sealed container. Makes 16 muffins.</span></em></strong></span></div>
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<u><span style="font-family: "Times New Roman","serif"; font-size: 12pt; line-height: 115%;"><strong><em><span style="color: #cc0000;">Festive Holiday Cookies</span></em></strong></span></u></div>
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<span style="font-family: "Times New Roman","serif"; font-size: 12pt; line-height: 115%;"><strong><em><span style="color: #cc0000;">1/2 cup unsweetened applesauce</span></em></strong></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: "Times New Roman","serif"; font-size: 12pt; line-height: 115%;"><strong><em><span style="color: #cc0000;">1 egg, slightly beaten</span></em></strong></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: "Times New Roman","serif"; font-size: 12pt; line-height: 115%;"><strong><em><span style="color: #cc0000;">1/2 cup chunky peanut butter</span></em></strong></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: "Times New Roman","serif"; font-size: 12pt; line-height: 115%;"><strong><em><span style="color: #cc0000;">1 teaspoon vanilla</span></em></strong></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: "Times New Roman","serif"; font-size: 12pt; line-height: 115%;"><strong><em><span style="color: #cc0000;">1 1/4 cups water</span></em></strong></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: "Times New Roman","serif"; font-size: 12pt; line-height: 115%;"><strong><em><span style="color: #cc0000;">3 cups whole-wheat flour</span></em></strong></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: "Times New Roman","serif"; font-size: 12pt; line-height: 115%;"><strong><em><span style="color: #cc0000;">1 cup white flour</span></em></strong></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: "Times New Roman","serif"; font-size: 12pt; line-height: 115%;"><strong><em><span style="color: #cc0000;">1/2 cup cornmeal</span></em></strong></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: "Times New Roman","serif"; font-size: 12pt; line-height: 115%;"><strong><em><span style="color: #cc0000;">1/2 cup quick-cooking oats</span></em></strong></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: "Times New Roman","serif"; font-size: 12pt; line-height: 115%;"><strong><em><span style="color: #cc0000;">1/4 cup chopped peanuts</span></em></strong></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: "Times New Roman","serif"; font-size: 12pt; line-height: 115%;"><strong><em><span style="color: #cc0000;">Preheat oven to 350 degrees Fahrenheit. In a large
mixing bowl, combine applesauce, egg, peanut butter, vanilla and water. Mix
well. Add flours, corn meal, oats and peanuts and mix well to form a dough.
Turn dough onto a floured surface and knead until thoroughly mixed together.
Roll out dough to 1/4 inch thick and cut out shapes. Place on greased baking
sheet and bake for 45 minutes until lightly browned. Cool on rack. Makes 30
cookies.</span></em></strong></span></div>
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<u><span style="font-family: "Times New Roman","serif"; font-size: 12pt; line-height: 115%;"><strong><em><span style="color: #cc0000;">New Year Delights</span></em></strong></span></u></div>
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<span style="font-family: "Times New Roman","serif"; font-size: 12pt; line-height: 115%;"><strong><em><span style="color: #cc0000;">2 tablespoons honey</span></em></strong></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: "Times New Roman","serif"; font-size: 12pt; line-height: 115%;"><strong><em><span style="color: #cc0000;">2 3/4 cups water</span></em></strong></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: "Times New Roman","serif"; font-size: 12pt; line-height: 115%;"><strong><em><span style="color: #cc0000;">1/4 cup unsweetened chunky applesauce</span></em></strong></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: "Times New Roman","serif"; font-size: 12pt; line-height: 115%;"><strong><em><span style="color: #cc0000;">1/8 teaspoon vanilla</span></em></strong></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: "Times New Roman","serif"; font-size: 12pt; line-height: 115%;"><strong><em><span style="color: #cc0000;">1 egg, slightly beaten</span></em></strong></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: "Times New Roman","serif"; font-size: 12pt; line-height: 115%;"><strong><em><span style="color: #cc0000;">3 cups whole-wheat flour</span></em></strong></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: "Times New Roman","serif"; font-size: 12pt; line-height: 115%;"><strong><em><span style="color: #cc0000;">1 cup all purpose flour</span></em></strong></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: "Times New Roman","serif"; font-size: 12pt; line-height: 115%;"><strong><em><span style="color: #cc0000;">1 cup dried apple chips</span></em></strong></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: "Times New Roman","serif"; font-size: 12pt; line-height: 115%;"><strong><em><span style="color: #cc0000;">1 tablespoon baking powder</span></em></strong></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: "Times New Roman","serif"; font-size: 12pt; line-height: 115%;"><strong><em><span style="color: #cc0000;">1 tablespoon cinnamon</span></em></strong></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: "Times New Roman","serif"; font-size: 12pt; line-height: 115%;"><strong><em><span style="color: #cc0000;">1 tablespoon nutmeg</span></em></strong></span><br />
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<span style="font-family: "Times New Roman","serif"; font-size: 12pt; line-height: 115%;"><strong><em><span style="color: #cc0000;">Preheat oven to 350 degrees Fahrenheit. In a bowl,
mix together honey, water, applesauce, vanilla and egg. Add flour, apple chips,
baking powder, cinnamon and nutmeg and mix thoroughly, scraping sides and bottom
of bowl to be sure no dry mixture is left. Spoon into greased muffin pans so
that each cup is three-quarters full and bake for approximately 1 hour until
lightly browned. Cool and store in an airtight container. Makes 12 muffins.<o:p></o:p></span></em></strong></span></div>
Adapted from: <span style="font-family: "Times New Roman","serif"; font-size: 12pt; line-height: 115%; mso-ansi-language: EN-US; mso-bidi-language: AR-SA; mso-fareast-font-family: Calibri; mso-fareast-language: EN-US; mso-fareast-theme-font: minor-latin;"><a href="http://www.petplace.com/dogs/baking-for-the-holidays-for-your-dog/page1.aspx?utm_source=dogcrazynews&utm_medium=email&utm_campaign=DogTraffic&utm_content=DC-20121222-[T]&email=kfwash@aol.com"><span style="color: blue;">http://www.petplace.com/dogs/baking-for-the-holidays-for-your-dog/page1.aspx?utm_source=dogcrazynews&utm_medium=email&utm_campaign=DogTraffic&utm_content=DC-20121222-[T]&email=kfwash@aol.com</span></a></span><br />
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<strong><em><span style="color: #38761d;"><span style="font-family: "Times New Roman","serif"; line-height: 115%;"><span style="font-size: x-large;">Baking For The Holidays for Your Cat</span></span><span style="font-family: "Times New Roman","serif"; font-size: 12pt; line-height: 115%;"><o:p> </o:p></span></span></em></strong></div>
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<span style="font-family: "Times New Roman","serif"; font-size: 12pt; line-height: 115%;"><strong><em><span style="color: #38761d;">The holidays are around the corner - time to get
ready for the season! While you are planning your baked treats for family and
friends, try baking some for your kitty, too.</span></em></strong></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: "Times New Roman","serif"; font-size: 12pt; line-height: 115%;"><u><strong><em><span style="color: #38761d;">Festive Fish
Holiday Pretzels</span></em></strong></u></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: "Times New Roman","serif"; font-size: 12pt; line-height: 115%;"><strong><em><span style="color: #38761d;">3/4 cup canned tuna or salmon, drained well</span></em></strong></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: "Times New Roman","serif"; font-size: 12pt; line-height: 115%;"><strong><em><span style="color: #38761d;"><span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>1/4 cup warm
water</span></em></strong></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: "Times New Roman","serif"; font-size: 12pt; line-height: 115%;"><strong><em><span style="color: #38761d;">1 tablespoon butter</span></em></strong></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: "Times New Roman","serif"; font-size: 12pt; line-height: 115%;"><strong><em><span style="color: #38761d;">1 cup whole-wheat flour</span></em></strong></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: "Times New Roman","serif"; font-size: 12pt; line-height: 115%;"><strong><em><span style="color: #38761d;">Preheat oven to 300 degrees Fahrenheit. In a medium
size bowl, mash canned fish well with a fork and combine with water and butter.
Add flour to form a dough. Divide dough into 24 pieces, roll each piece into a
rope, and shape into a pretzel. Place on ungreased cookie sheet and bake for
20-25 minutes until lightly browned. Makes two dozen.</span></em></strong></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: "Times New Roman","serif"; font-size: 12pt; line-height: 115%;"><strong><em><span style="color: #38761d;">Note: dough can be rolled out and shaped with cookie
cutters before placing on cookie sheets.</span></em></strong></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: "Times New Roman","serif"; font-size: 12pt; line-height: 115%;"><u><strong><em><span style="color: #38761d;">Holiday
Cheese Balls</span></em></strong></u></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: "Times New Roman","serif"; font-size: 12pt; line-height: 115%;"><strong><em><span style="color: #38761d;">2 tablespoons soft margarine</span></em></strong></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: "Times New Roman","serif"; font-size: 12pt; line-height: 115%;"><strong><em><span style="color: #38761d;">1/2 cup grated cheddar cheese</span></em></strong></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: "Times New Roman","serif"; font-size: 12pt; line-height: 115%;"><strong><em><span style="color: #38761d;">1 egg white</span></em></strong></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: "Times New Roman","serif"; font-size: 12pt; line-height: 115%;"><strong><em><span style="color: #38761d;">1/2 cup flour</span></em></strong></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: "Times New Roman","serif"; font-size: 12pt; line-height: 115%;"><strong><em><span style="color: #38761d;">1/2 tsp catnip</span></em></strong></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: "Times New Roman","serif"; font-size: 12pt; line-height: 115%;"><strong><em><span style="color: #38761d;">Preheat oven to 250 degrees Fahrenheit. Combine
margarine, cheese, catnip and egg white. Add flour to make a soft dough.
Separate dough into half-inch pieces and roll into balls. Bake on ungreased
cookie sheet for 35 minutes. Makes about 12 balls.</span></em></strong></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: "Times New Roman","serif"; font-size: 12pt; line-height: 115%;"><u><strong><em><span style="color: #38761d;">Gobble-ups</span></em></strong></u></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: "Times New Roman","serif"; font-size: 12pt; line-height: 115%;"><strong><em><span style="color: #38761d;">1 cup cooked turkey or chicken</span></em></strong></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: "Times New Roman","serif"; font-size: 12pt; line-height: 115%;"><strong><em><span style="color: #38761d;">1/2 cup beef or chicken broth</span></em></strong></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin: 0in 0in 10pt;">
<span style="font-family: "Times New Roman","serif"; font-size: 12pt; line-height: 115%;"><strong><em><span style="color: #38761d;">1 tablespoon margarine</span></em></strong></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: "Times New Roman","serif"; font-size: 12pt; line-height: 115%;"><strong><em><span style="color: #38761d;">1 cup whole wheat flour</span></em></strong></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: "Times New Roman","serif"; font-size: 12pt; line-height: 115%;"><strong><em><span style="color: #38761d;">Preheat oven to 350 degrees Fahrenheit. Combine
turkey, broth and margarine. Add flour to make a soft dough. Add additional
flour 1 tablespoon at a time if dough is too sticky. Roll out dough and cut
with cookie cutter, or break off pieces and form into interesting shapes. Bake
for 20 to 25 minutes on ungreased cookie sheets. Makes about 30 treats.</span></em></strong> </span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin: 0in 0in 10pt;">
<span style="font-family: "Times New Roman","serif"; font-size: 12pt; line-height: 115%;">Adapted from: <a href="http://www.petplace.com/cats/baking-for-the-holidays-for-your-cat/page1.aspx?utm_source=dogcrazynews&utm_medium=email&utm_campaign=DogTraffic&utm_content=DC-20121222-%5bT%5d&email=kfwash@aol.com"><span style="color: blue;">http://www.petplace.com/cats/baking-for-the-holidays-for-your-cat/page1.aspx?utm_source=dogcrazynews&utm_medium=email&utm_campaign=DogTraffic&utm_content=DC-20121222-[T]&email=kfwash@aol.com</span></a>
</span></div>
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<span style="font-family: "Times New Roman","serif"; font-size: 12pt; line-height: 115%;"><o:p>OK, you've had a chance to make some holiday goodies for your pets. Now, sit back and let the dogs and cats do a little performing to earn those snacks.</o:p></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: "Times New Roman","serif"; font-size: 12pt; line-height: 115%;"><o:p><strong><em><span style="color: #cc0000;">The Singing Dogs doing Jingle Bells</span></em></strong>: <a href="http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=MCBhQCCyhTo">http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=MCBhQCCyhTo</a> </o:p></span><br />
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgDNBJrNYSV-xd_3a4FkCZtXfj3g4ABvBCO84dp3Heh4x2knMo0EXBrZM1N3aKe6GKZPLSns0hC6XXiwBd9-8JCU88eclDeN2RVzZYdmeBzAPFQ4IMHCRYkTheO4iWqhu6xfmEJmlsy07g/s1600/Christmas+Doxie.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgDNBJrNYSV-xd_3a4FkCZtXfj3g4ABvBCO84dp3Heh4x2knMo0EXBrZM1N3aKe6GKZPLSns0hC6XXiwBd9-8JCU88eclDeN2RVzZYdmeBzAPFQ4IMHCRYkTheO4iWqhu6xfmEJmlsy07g/s1600/Christmas+Doxie.jpg" /></a></div>
<span style="font-family: "Times New Roman","serif"; font-size: 12pt; line-height: 115%;"><o:p><strong><em><span style="color: #38761d;"></span></em></strong></o:p></span><br />
<span style="font-family: "Times New Roman","serif"; font-size: 12pt; line-height: 115%;"><o:p><strong><em><span style="color: #38761d;">The Singing Cats doing Silent Night</span></em></strong>: <a href="http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=cHI8M1K2LXs">http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=cHI8M1K2LXs</a></o:p></span><br />
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhNpiWT-nUUQqbRFb3KwYuM4n1dOpq9TuNKe7V_Z3QMluqycteQhykO9vUN7XxdYPNmEWtndtqB5mFqDRzQf7AzAw9k8cGTkdJpq_Ju_JZhvwedBlv3o_VLTDrvZ8rksdx1ZjNkfCJxsPE/s1600/Christmas+Cats.bmp" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="240" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhNpiWT-nUUQqbRFb3KwYuM4n1dOpq9TuNKe7V_Z3QMluqycteQhykO9vUN7XxdYPNmEWtndtqB5mFqDRzQf7AzAw9k8cGTkdJpq_Ju_JZhvwedBlv3o_VLTDrvZ8rksdx1ZjNkfCJxsPE/s320/Christmas+Cats.bmp" width="320" /></a></div>
Finish your musical enjoyment with this multi-species version of The Twelve Days of Christmas...this one is really pretty good: <a href="http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=obGjx8Hry3M">http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=obGjx8Hry3M</a> (you can skip the ad that runs at the beginning).</div>
Now it's time to get into the more serious, educational part of this week's issue. A lot of pet owners have noticed that their dogs and cats will, at times, pay attention to certain types of music and that they will show some reactions to that music. Only recently has any serious research tried to evaluate this phenomenon. Regular readers of <strong><span style="color: #990000;">Questions On Dogs and Cats</span></strong> already know that Helpful Buckeye is a big fan of many kinds of music and doesn't doubt for a minute that pets can draw their own meaning and fulfillment from music. The only questions that remain are what kind of music do they prefer and how does it affect them.<br />
<br />
The perfect lead-in song for this segment comes from one of Desperado and Helpful Buckeye's favorite groups...listen to the Doobie Brothers sing <strong><em>Music Is The Doctor</em></strong>: <a href="http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=d8uCryLHnt4">http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=d8uCryLHnt4</a><br />
<br />
Doesn't that get your blood pumping and your toes a-tappin'? <br />
<br />
<br />
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<span style="font-family: "Times New Roman","serif"; font-size: 12pt; line-height: 115%;"><strong><em><span style="color: #cc0000;"><span style="font-size: x-large;">Study: Classical music de-stresses dogs<o:p></o:p></span></span></em></strong></span></div>
<div style="text-align: center;">
<strong><em><span style="color: #cc0000;">
</span></em></strong><span style="font-family: "Times New Roman","serif"; font-size: 12pt; line-height: 115%;"><strong><em><span style="color: #cc0000; font-size: large;">Classical music might be the best way to calm an anxious
pooch, a new study finds.</span></em></strong> <o:p></o:p></span></div>
<br />
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<span style="font-family: "Times New Roman","serif"; font-size: 12pt; line-height: 115%;"><strong><em><span style="color: #cc0000;">Lead author Lori Kogan of Colorado State University
found that Mozart, Beethoven and the like may reduce stress in dogs, according
to a study in the Journal of Veterinary Behavior. The study found that
classical music was more soothing than "psychoacoustic" music or
specially-made Pet CDs that were designed to calm animals.</span></em></strong></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: "Times New Roman","serif"; font-size: 12pt; line-height: 115%;"><strong><em><span style="color: #cc0000;">Kogan said the study may be helpful for the welfare
of animals in stressful shelter environments.</span></em></strong></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: "Times New Roman","serif"; font-size: 12pt; line-height: 115%;"><strong><em><span style="color: #cc0000;">"Social isolation or restriction, a major
stresser for many dogs, can lead to the development of both physiological and
behavioral problems," Kogan and her two research partners, Regina
Shoenfeld-Tacher and Allen A. Simon, wrote in their research summary.</span></em></strong></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: "Times New Roman","serif"; font-size: 12pt; line-height: 115%;"><strong><em><span style="color: #cc0000;">Their research analyzed the behavior of 117 dogs of
various breeds, all from one kennel; 83 were boarders (dogs that are
temporarily housed for a fee) of different breeds and 34 were rescued
dachshunds. Kogan and her researchers did thousands of behavioral assessments
over the period of four months. </span></em></strong></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: "Times New Roman","serif"; font-size: 12pt; line-height: 115%;"><strong><em><span style="color: #cc0000;">The dogs were exposed to 45 minutes of three
different genres of music while their behavior was recorded every five minutes.
</span></em></strong></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: "Times New Roman","serif"; font-size: 12pt; line-height: 115%;"><strong><em><span style="color: #cc0000;">Classical music was linked to more relaxed and
restful behavior, while heavy metal was linked to greater anxiety and unrest. </span></em></strong></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: "Times New Roman","serif"; font-size: 12pt; line-height: 115%;"><strong><em><span style="color: #cc0000;">"It does fly in the face of what [Pet CD
advocates] talk about, which is that more simplistic music should be more
relaxing. The plus side is that you can download classical music for
free," Kogan told the Canadian-based Leader-Post.</span></em></strong></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin: 0in 0in 10pt;">
<span style="font-family: "Times New Roman","serif"; font-size: 12pt; line-height: 115%;"><span style="color: black;">Adapted from: <span style="font-family: "Times New Roman","serif"; font-size: 12pt; line-height: 115%;"><a href="http://www.cbsnews.com/8301-201_162-57545315/study-classical-music-de-stresses-dogs/"><span style="color: blue;">http://www.cbsnews.com/8301-201_162-57545315/study-classical-music-de-stresses-dogs/</span></a>
</span></span></span></div>
<span style="color: black;"></span><br />
<span style="color: black;"></span><br />
<span style="color: black;"></span><br />
<span style="color: black;"><div class="MsoNormal" style="margin: 0in 0in 10pt; text-align: center;">
<span style="font-family: "Times New Roman","serif"; font-size: 12pt; line-height: 115%;"><strong><em><span style="color: #38761d;"><span style="font-size: x-large;">Does Music Actually Soothe Pets?<o:p></o:p></span></span></em></strong></span></div>
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<strong><em><span style="color: #38761d;">
<span style="font-family: "Times New Roman","serif"; font-size: 12pt; line-height: 115%;">Pet anxiety can manifest itself in many different
ways. We love our pets, so of course we worry about their health and safety. We
don't want to see them upset or stressed out, especially when we can do
something about it. </span></span></em></strong></div>
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<span style="font-family: "Times New Roman","serif"; font-size: 12pt; line-height: 115%;"><strong><em><span style="color: #38761d;">Some of you have said that your pets become upset
when they are left home alone for any period of time. That's a common problem -
in fact, it's so common that it even has a name: “separation anxiety.” Others
have mentioned their dogs' anxiety or carsickness when traveling in the car. Some
pets become very anxious when they are in unfamiliar surroundings like kennels
and vet's offices. And some actually throw up or chew away areas of their hair
and skin during thunderstorms, or when they hear loud noises like fireworks.
When they are stressed, many dogs are likely to hide and not be found. Some
dogs get so scared that they simply run for cover, which in turn leads to YOUR
anxiety about finding your dog.</span></em></strong></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: "Times New Roman","serif"; font-size: 12pt; line-height: 115%;"><strong><em><span style="color: #38761d;">Some pet owners have tried creative ways to ease
their pets' stress, like leaving the TV or radio on for "company"
when their pets are home alone. But that could actually be doing more harm than
good. Studies have suggested that TV and radio can actually CREATE stress for
our pets because of the drastic changes in programming and the random mix of
musical styles. Think about it—how scared would you be if you suddenly heard
gunshots, sirens, or dogs barking?<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>The
TV and radio certainly create "noise," but they don't necessarily
create a relaxed environment.</span></em></strong></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: "Times New Roman","serif"; font-size: 12pt; line-height: 115%;"><strong><em><span style="color: #38761d;">Dog owners sometime ask,<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>"Does music soothe pets the same way it
can relax people?" The answer is "yes" - but it depends on the
music.</span></em></strong></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin: 0in 0in 10pt;">
<span style="font-family: "Times New Roman","serif"; font-size: 12pt; line-height: 115%;"><strong><em><span style="color: #38761d;">Music Eases Pet Anxiety - But Not Just ANY Music
Will Do</span></em></strong></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: "Times New Roman","serif"; font-size: 12pt; line-height: 115%;"><strong><em><span style="color: #38761d;">Music is good for the soul. They say it calms the
savage beast. And it turns out that's more than just an old wives' tale. While
this might conjure up images of tigers with iPods, the truth is that music
really CAN calm animals down. Really! It's a proven fact. </span></em></strong></span></div>
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<strong><em><span style="color: #38761d;"><span style="font-family: "Times New Roman","serif"; font-size: 12pt; line-height: 115%;">Studies have been done to examine the relationship
between music and stress, and some of the results might surprise you. <span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>Classical harp music is used around the world
to help alleviate stress and heal sickness in dogs, cats, chimpanzees and other
animals. Even animal shelters are installing sound systems and using music to
create a more serene environment. Studies show that</span><span style="font-family: Calibri;"> </span><span style="font-family: "Times New Roman","serif"; font-size: 12pt; line-height: 115%;"><span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>dogs and cats seem to show lower levels of
stress when exposed to classical music. <span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>Cats will relax in front of the speakers when
classical music is playing, and dogs will actually bark less - especially when
listening to the music of Bach.</span></span></em></strong></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin: 0in 0in 10pt;">
<span style="font-family: "Times New Roman","serif"; font-size: 12pt; line-height: 115%;"><span style="font-family: "Times New Roman","serif"; font-size: 12pt; line-height: 115%;"><strong><em><span style="color: #38761d;">Our pets respond favorably to classical music under stress-inducing situations, often slipping into a very serene and peaceful state of mind after only a few minutes of listening. But all classical music will not have the same calming effect. For the music to soothe a pet, it must have a soothing dynamic from start to finish and transition calmly between pieces - which is not the case with most "off-the-shelf" classical music.</span></em></strong></span></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin: 0in 0in 10pt;">
Adapted from: <a href="http://view.ed4.net/v/CXWYFAR/HPG2/10A7L6W/GO4D6/FORMAT=H?utm_source=dogcrazynews&utm_medium=email&utm_campaign=MusicMyPetDog&utm_content=DC-20120615-MusicMyPet-[P]&email=kfwash@aol.com"><span style="font-family: "Times New Roman","serif"; font-size: 12pt; line-height: 115%;"><span style="color: blue;">http://view.ed4.net/v/CXWYFAR/HPG2/10A7L6W/GO4D6/FORMAT=H?utm_source=dogcrazynews&utm_medium=email&utm_campaign=MusicMyPetDog&utm_content=DC-20120615-MusicMyPet-[P]&email=kfwash@aol.com</span></span></a></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin: 0in 0in 10pt;">
A commercially produced music CD that seems to satisfy the above requirements is available at: <span style="font-family: "Calibri","sans-serif"; font-size: 11pt; line-height: 115%; mso-ansi-language: EN-US; mso-ascii-theme-font: minor-latin; mso-bidi-font-family: "Times New Roman"; mso-bidi-language: AR-SA; mso-bidi-theme-font: minor-bidi; mso-fareast-font-family: Calibri; mso-fareast-language: EN-US; mso-fareast-theme-font: minor-latin; mso-hansi-theme-font: minor-latin;"><a href="http://www.petproductadvisor.com/store/mc/music-my-pet-dog-2.aspx?utm_source=dogcrazynews001et&utm_medium=email&utm_campaign=Musicmypetdog&utm_content=DC-20120120&email=kfwash@aol.com"><span style="font-family: "Times New Roman","serif"; font-size: 12pt; line-height: 115%;"><span style="color: blue;">http://www.petproductadvisor.com/store/mc/music-my-pet-dog-2.aspx?utm_source=dogcrazynews001et&utm_medium=email&utm_campaign=Musicmypetdog&utm_content=DC-20120120&email=kfwash@aol.com</span></span></a></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin: 0in 0in 10pt;">
<span style="font-family: "Calibri","sans-serif"; font-size: 11pt; line-height: 115%; mso-ansi-language: EN-US; mso-ascii-theme-font: minor-latin; mso-bidi-font-family: "Times New Roman"; mso-bidi-language: AR-SA; mso-bidi-theme-font: minor-bidi; mso-fareast-font-family: Calibri; mso-fareast-language: EN-US; mso-fareast-theme-font: minor-latin; mso-hansi-theme-font: minor-latin;"><span style="font-family: Times, "Times New Roman", serif;">In addition to the musical benefits for pets experiencing anxiety, there is also some evidence that certain types of music will aid in the healing of transplant patients:</span></span> </div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin: 0in 0in 10pt; text-align: center;">
<span style="font-family: "Times New Roman","serif"; line-height: 115%;"><strong><em><span style="color: #cc0000; font-size: x-large;">Classical Music Slows Mice Transplant </span></em></strong></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: "Times New Roman","serif"; line-height: 115%;"><strong><em><span style="color: #cc0000; font-size: x-large;">Rejection</span></em></strong></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin: 0in 0in 10pt;">
<span style="font-family: "Times New Roman","serif"; line-height: 115%;"><strong><em><span style="color: #cc0000;">Mice with mismatched heart transplants that were
exposed to classical music had much slower rejection rates than did mice exposed
to other music and sounds, Sophie Bushwick reports.</span></em></strong></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin: 0in 0in 10pt;">
<span style="font-family: "Times New Roman","serif"; font-size: 12pt; line-height: 115%;"><strong><em><span style="color: #cc0000;">Opera and classical music can relax you – and maybe
your immune system, if results with mice extend to us. Because mice that got
heart transplants and who listened to opera and classical music had better
outcomes than those exposed to other sounds. The work is in the Journal of
Cardiothoracic Surgery. [Masateru Uchiyama et al., "Auditory stimulation
of opera music induced prolongation of murine cardiac allograft survival and
maintained generation of regulatory CD4+CD25+ cells"].</span></em></strong></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin: 0in 0in 10pt;">
<span style="font-family: "Times New Roman","serif"; font-size: 12pt; line-height: 115%;"><strong><em><span style="color: #cc0000;">A mismatched organ transplant typically gets
rejected. After receiving mismatched heart transplants, mice spent a week
hearing silence, a single-frequency tone, or one of three types of music:
Verdi's La Traviata, Mozart, or the New Age artist Enya. </span></em></strong></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: "Times New Roman","serif"; font-size: 12pt; line-height: 115%;"><strong><em><span style="color: #cc0000;">The strong immune response in the control mice and
those who listened to single frequencies caused rejection after a week, and the
Enya group lasted only a few days more. But the hearts in the Mozart group beat
for 20 days and the Traviata group survived 26 days. </span></em></strong></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: "Times New Roman","serif"; font-size: 12pt; line-height: 115%;"><strong><em><span style="color: #cc0000;">Perhaps classical music calms the immune system,
decreasing its responsiveness – the Traviata mice had fewer white blood cells
and immune-signaling molecules. Or maybe mice just prefer Verdi to Enya.</span></em></strong></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: "Times New Roman","serif"; font-size: 12pt; line-height: 115%;">Adapted from: <span style="font-family: "Times New Roman","serif"; font-size: 12pt; line-height: 115%; mso-ansi-language: EN-US; mso-bidi-language: AR-SA; mso-fareast-font-family: Calibri; mso-fareast-language: EN-US; mso-fareast-theme-font: minor-latin;"><span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span></span><span style="font-family: "Calibri","sans-serif"; font-size: 11pt; line-height: 115%; mso-ansi-language: EN-US; mso-ascii-theme-font: minor-latin; mso-bidi-font-family: "Times New Roman"; mso-bidi-language: AR-SA; mso-bidi-theme-font: minor-bidi; mso-fareast-font-family: Calibri; mso-fareast-language: EN-US; mso-fareast-theme-font: minor-latin; mso-hansi-theme-font: minor-latin;"><a href="http://www.scientificamerican.com/podcast/episode.cfm?id=classical-music-slows-mice-transpla-12-03-23"><span style="font-family: "Times New Roman","serif"; font-size: 12pt; line-height: 115%;"><span style="color: blue;">http://www.scientificamerican.com/podcast/episode.cfm?id=classical-music-slows-mice-transpla-12-03-23</span></span></a></span></span><br />
<span style="font-family: "Times New Roman","serif"; font-size: 12pt; line-height: 115%;"><span style="font-family: Calibri;"></span></span><br />
<span style="font-size: 12pt; line-height: 115%;"><span style="font-family: Times, "Times New Roman", serif;">Do any of our readers feel that your pets respond to any type of music? If so, either respond at the Comment section at the end of this issue or send an e-mail to Helpful Buckeye at: <a href="mailto:dogcatvethelp@gmail.com">dogcatvethelp@gmail.com</a> </span></span><br />
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<span style="font-size: 12pt; line-height: 115%;"><span style="font-family: Times, "Times New Roman", serif;"><span style="font-size: x-large;"><strong>SPORTS NEWS</strong></span></span></span><br />
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh9Ssn6IqwgbkwWquKY2TbczYL1qUBGoNcdDOpperqaMt79yilCniRuKt0hvU4wkxHNFOiBoOtOdDm2PFaqk-w4NFtJ0CoPtGaZxrBWwq8O0efVPEmOF0jOj4fobd5qV1ZTBhDlAMSHrH4/s1600/sports+balls.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh9Ssn6IqwgbkwWquKY2TbczYL1qUBGoNcdDOpperqaMt79yilCniRuKt0hvU4wkxHNFOiBoOtOdDm2PFaqk-w4NFtJ0CoPtGaZxrBWwq8O0efVPEmOF0jOj4fobd5qV1ZTBhDlAMSHrH4/s1600/sports+balls.jpg" /></a><span style="font-family: Times;">The <strong><span style="background-color: #f1c232;">Pittsburgh Steelers</span></strong> had an opportunity to get into the playoffs today and, instead, due to a couple of late-in-the-game poor decisions by our head coach and an unexplainable interception thrown by our QB, we are left with nothing. We are left with not only no playoffs this year but an off-season of wondering how we could have let so many of those winning games turn into losers. These are not the Steelers of yesteryear...they are imposters!</span><br />
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<span style="font-size: 12pt; line-height: 115%;"><span style="font-family: Times, "Times New Roman", serif;"><strong><span style="font-size: x-large;">PERSONAL STUFF</span></strong></span></span><br />
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<span style="font-size: 12pt; line-height: 115%;"><span style="font-family: Times, "Times New Roman", serif;">Helpful Buckeye got an early Christmas present last week in the form of a new racquetball partner. This guy is just about as competitive as me and gave me a couple of tough games...I know, I know...you're wondering who won. Well, I did, but I was more excited about the new opportunity.</span></span><br />
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<span style="font-size: 12pt; line-height: 115%;"><span style="font-family: Times, "Times New Roman", serif;">Desperado and Helpful Buckeye are going to Christmas dinner at the home of a couple of really good friends and Helpful Buckeye has been asked to bring his "acclaimed" dessert, Tiramisu. I enjoy making it almost as much as I enjoy eating it!</span></span><br />
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<span style="font-size: 12pt; line-height: 115%;"><span style="font-family: Times, "Times New Roman", serif;">As we get closer to Christmas, we find that many people have done things for us...they either do favors for us, give us encouragement, go out of their way to make our lives better, or even give us presents. Remember to thank anyone who has taken the time to do any of these for you...they are special friends<em>...</em><b style="mso-bidi-font-weight: normal;"><span style="font-family: Times New Roman;"><em>“Silent gratitude isn't much use to
anyone."--</em>Gladys Bronwyn Stern, British writer</span></b></span></span><span style="font-size: 12pt; line-height: 115%;"><span style="font-family: Times, "Times New Roman", serif;"><br />
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<span style="font-family: Times;">Desperado and Helpful Buckeye send our Holiday greetings and best wishes to all of our readers...your interest in this blog is greatly appreciated!</span><br />
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<span style="font-family: Times;"><strong><span style="background-color: #93c47d; color: #990000; font-size: large;">Happy Holidays From Flagstaff!</span></strong></span></div>
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<em><span style="color: black;"><span style="font-family: Times New Roman;">~~The goal of this blog is to
provide general information and advice to help you be a better pet owner and to
have a more rewarding relationship with your pet. This blog does not intend to
replace the professional one-on-one care your pet receives from a practicing
veterinarian. When in doubt about your pet's health, always visit a
veterinarian.~~</span></span></em></div>
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Helpful Buckeyehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/18134633849820948837noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-16663019142577616.post-75747331747805122422012-12-17T00:00:00.000-07:002012-12-21T05:54:42.907-07:00HOLIDAY STRESS...AND VOMITING???<br />
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Ah, yes, the holidays are upon us in full swing and will be going strong for more than two weeks yet. All you have to do is look around you, talk to your friends, and see how busy your own calendar has become...to realize that the holidays are full of stress. If you think you've been "stressed out" by all that activity, can you imagine what your habit-oriented pets must be feeling amidst all the hoopla? Are pets affected by stress during the holidays? You betcha....<br />
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<span style="font-family: "Times New Roman","serif"; font-size: 12pt; line-height: 115%;"><span style="font-size: x-large;"><strong><em><span style="color: #990000;">Do Dogs Get Holiday Stress?<o:p></o:p></span></em></strong></span></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: "Times New Roman","serif"; font-size: 12pt; line-height: 115%;"><strong><em><span style="color: #990000;">Did you put up your holiday decorations yet? Some
folks have their tree and outdoor lights up before the Thanksgiving turkey
comes out of the oven; others prefer to wait until later in the season. </span></em></strong></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: "Times New Roman","serif"; font-size: 12pt; line-height: 115%;"><strong><em><span style="color: #990000;">With all the holiday preparations you're making …
shopping, wrapping presents, planning holiday meals, getting the house ready
for guests or perhaps packing and preparing to leave for a holiday trip… you
may be a little more than stressed. </span></em></strong></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: "Times New Roman","serif"; font-size: 12pt; line-height: 115%;"><strong><em><span style="color: #990000;">Did you know your dog can pick up on that and be
stressed out himself?</span></em></strong></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: "Times New Roman","serif"; font-size: 12pt; line-height: 115%;"><strong><em><span style="color: #990000;">Any change in your dog's routine can cause stress.
And when your dog is stressed, he may misbehave, including destroying things
around the house or chewing up shoes or furniture. He could hurt himself, such
as biting or scratching excessively. He might bark a lot or make “messes” while
you are gone or act frantically when you return home. </span></em></strong></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: "Times New Roman","serif"; font-size: 12pt; line-height: 115%;"><strong><em><span style="color: #990000;">This is your dog's way of telling you he's not
getting enough social interaction with you and he's under a lot of stress.
Preparing your dog for the holidays can greatly reduce his stress at this time
of year.</span></em></strong></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: "Times New Roman","serif"; font-size: 12pt; line-height: 115%;"><strong><em><span style="color: #990000;">Here are some simple yet highly-effective ways to
help your dog chill out during the holidays:</span></em></strong></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: "Times New Roman","serif"; font-size: 12pt; line-height: 115%;"><strong><em><span style="color: #990000;">1) First, keep your dog's feeding and exercise routine
the same throughout the holidays. If you are going away or can't take care of
your dog at the usual times, designate a family member or neighbor or hire a
pet sitter to provide meals or walks at the usual times.</span></em></strong></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: "Times New Roman","serif"; font-size: 12pt; line-height: 115%;"><strong><em><span style="color: #990000;">2) When your family is busy with preparations or you‘re
throwing a party, put your dog in a quiet room with plenty of water, a soft
comfy bed and a favorite toy or treat.</span></em></strong></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: "Times New Roman","serif"; font-size: 12pt; line-height: 115%;"><strong><em><span style="color: #990000;">3) If you're having guests over, work on your dog's
greeting manners to save the stress of being constantly corrected. Have a
friend or family member knock on the door while you practice sitting and
staying with your dog. Give your pet plenty of attention and extra activity
before your guests arrive. Be sure to remind your guests not to give your dog
any treats or table scraps. </span></em></strong></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: "Times New Roman","serif"; font-size: 12pt; line-height: 115%;"><strong><em><span style="color: #990000;">4) If you're going away for a holiday vacation, it's
important to teach your dog that your departure is not a sign of bad things.
Get your dog used to the idea of your being gone. The more that they witness
you leaving and coming back, the less shocking the departure will be. Pretend
that you're going to leave, but then come right back. Repeat this several
times, rewarding your dog when he remains quiet and calm. </span></em></strong></span></div>
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<strong><em><span style="color: #990000;"><span style="font-family: "Times New Roman","serif"; font-size: 12pt; line-height: 115%;">Doing this will help your dog learn to stay relaxed
when he sees that you're leaving... since he never knows when you're actually
leaving! After a while, this relaxed way of dealing with your leaving will
become the norm for your dog. </span><span style="font-family: "Times New Roman","serif"; font-size: 12pt; line-height: 115%; mso-ansi-language: EN-US; mso-bidi-language: AR-SA; mso-fareast-font-family: Calibri; mso-fareast-language: EN-US; mso-fareast-theme-font: minor-latin;">When you do leave, be
sure to remain calm yourself. Try giving him a special toy that will occupy his
mind. Casually tell your dog goodbye and leave without a lot of fuss. If you
don't treat leaving like a big deal, neither will your dog.</span></span></em></strong></div>
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<span style="font-family: "Times New Roman","serif"; font-size: 12pt; line-height: 115%; mso-ansi-language: EN-US; mso-bidi-language: AR-SA; mso-fareast-font-family: Calibri; mso-fareast-language: EN-US; mso-fareast-theme-font: minor-latin;">Adapted from: <span style="font-family: "Times New Roman","serif"; font-size: 12pt; line-height: 115%;"><a href="http://view.ed4.net/v/HEIS14U/6VN2E/5MTX33J/Q4SN5/FORMAT=H"><span style="color: blue;">http://view.ed4.net/v/HEIS14U/6VN2E/5MTX33J/Q4SN5/FORMAT=H</span></a></span></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin: 0in 0in 10pt;">
<span style="font-family: "Times New Roman","serif"; font-size: 12pt; line-height: 115%; mso-ansi-language: EN-US; mso-bidi-language: AR-SA; mso-fareast-font-family: Calibri; mso-fareast-language: EN-US; mso-fareast-theme-font: minor-latin;"><span style="font-family: "Times New Roman","serif"; font-size: 12pt; line-height: 115%;">In addition to all of those stress-inducing circumstances, there are many ways for pets to get themselves into trouble and be "victims" of the holidays.</span></span><span style="font-family: "Times New Roman","serif"; font-size: 12pt; line-height: 115%; mso-ansi-language: EN-US; mso-bidi-language: AR-SA; mso-fareast-font-family: Calibri; mso-fareast-language: EN-US; mso-fareast-theme-font: minor-latin;"><span style="font-family: "Times New Roman","serif"; font-size: 12pt; line-height: 115%;"></span></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: "Times New Roman","serif"; font-size: 12pt; line-height: 115%;"><span style="font-size: x-large;"><strong><em><span style="color: #38761d;">10 Tips to Avoid Holiday Dog Emergencies<o:p></o:p></span></em></strong></span></span></div>
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<strong><em><span style="color: #38761d;"><span style="font-family: "Times New Roman","serif"; font-size: 12pt; line-height: 115%;">#1. Gastrointestinal Upset - This is a common
problem that occurs during the holidays. Adorable dogs beg for human food that
doesn't agree with their stomachs.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;">
</span>Turkey bones left in an accessible place are irresistible to pets, and
can lodge in an animal's throat or block the intestinal tract. Remove leftovers
from the table and don't leave garbage where animals can get to it.</span><span style="font-family: "MS Mincho"; font-size: 12pt; line-height: 115%; mso-bidi-font-family: "MS Mincho";"> </span><span style="font-family: "Times New Roman","serif"; font-size: 12pt; line-height: 115%;"> Don't forget that alcohol and chocolate
are toxic to dogs and should never be given to them.</span></span></em></strong></div>
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<strong><em><span style="color: #38761d;"><span style="font-family: "Times New Roman","serif"; font-size: 12pt; line-height: 115%;">#2. Ornament Ingestion - Some dogs play with
ornaments as if they were toys, frequently shattering them or breaking off
small pieces. They either ingest pieces of the ornament or the hook or are
injured by broken glass. Don't use edible ornaments or fragile, easily breakable
glass decorations to trim the tree (especially on the lower branches where
curious pets can reach them). </span></span></em></strong></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin: 0in 0in 10pt;">
<span style="font-family: "Times New Roman","serif"; font-size: 12pt; line-height: 115%;"><strong><em><span style="color: #38761d;">#3. Falling Trees - Your pet may knock over the
tree, trying to get to the bulbs or while playing under the tree.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>The needles (even artificial ones) are
indigestible and can cause gastric upset. You can keep your dog away from the
tree (using a baby gate in the doorway or low lattice fencing) or secure the
tree so it can't be knocked over.</span></em></strong></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin: 0in 0in 10pt;">
<span style="font-family: "Times New Roman","serif"; font-size: 12pt; line-height: 115%;"><strong><em><span style="color: #38761d;">#4. Ornament Hooks - Don't use wire ornament hooks
that can easily snag an ear or a tail, or, if swallowed, lodge in the throat or
intestines. Instead, fashion loops of yarn, ribbons or lightweight twine. </span></em></strong></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin: 0in 0in 10pt;">
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhpXugPZUwkGkTDMLdtUQM7KOMcTlPTFJsVpctY_WVKZIPEQ122Gmsu7Ki3BD_Uymy-6k98TTmZGrK5Av9gNu7jgiFMwXsesewXY5Ne5xVThsd0OQ78aSeInfUbj9dOyT2jqQOGiR0YuTw/s1600/tinsel1.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: right; float: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: 1em;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhpXugPZUwkGkTDMLdtUQM7KOMcTlPTFJsVpctY_WVKZIPEQ122Gmsu7Ki3BD_Uymy-6k98TTmZGrK5Av9gNu7jgiFMwXsesewXY5Ne5xVThsd0OQ78aSeInfUbj9dOyT2jqQOGiR0YuTw/s1600/tinsel1.jpg" /></a></div>
<span style="font-family: "Times New Roman","serif"; font-size: 12pt; line-height: 115%;"><strong><em><span style="color: #38761d;">#5. Ingestion of String, Tinsel or Ribbon - Any item
that an animal swallows, including string, ribbon on gifts, or bulbs, can
become what vets refer to as a foreign body. Swallowing any of these things can
require surgery. Shiny materials such as string, tinsel, and ribbon are
particularly appealing at this time of year. Prevent<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>your pets' access to the gifts unless
supervised. </span></em></strong></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin: 0in 0in 10pt;">
<strong><em><span style="color: #38761d;"><span style="font-family: "Times New Roman","serif"; font-size: 12pt; line-height: 115%;">#6. Burns and House Fires - Candles are popular this
time of year and dogs can knock over a candle with their wagging tails. This
can cause burns and even house fires. Another common cause of house fires
(which has nothing to do with your dog) is a dried out Christmas tree. Keep
your tree watered to prevent it from catching fire.</span><span style="font-family: "MS Mincho"; font-size: 12pt; line-height: 115%; mso-bidi-font-family: "MS Mincho";"> </span></span></em></strong></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin: 0in 0in 10pt;">
<strong><em><span style="color: #38761d;"><span style="font-family: "Times New Roman","serif"; font-size: 12pt; line-height: 115%;">#7. Drinking Tree Water. Some pets will drink water
from the tree. Don't use preservatives in the stand water. They can be toxic if
consumed by a thirsty pet. Carefully cover the top of the stand with a tree
skirt so your pet can't get to it. </span><span style="font-family: "MS Mincho"; font-size: 12pt; line-height: 115%; mso-bidi-font-family: "MS Mincho";"> </span></span></em></strong></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin: 0in 0in 10pt;">
<strong><em><span style="color: #38761d;"><span style="font-family: "Times New Roman","serif"; font-size: 12pt; line-height: 115%;">#8. Potpourri - Liquid potpourri is commonly used
during the holidays to give a nice aroma to the home. Dogs can be attracted and
lick some up. This can cause caustic chemical burns to the mouth, gums, tongue
and esophagus. These burns can be severe enough to require hospitalization and
placement of a feeding tube.</span><span style="font-family: "MS Mincho"; font-size: 12pt; line-height: 115%; mso-bidi-font-family: "MS Mincho";"> </span></span></em></strong></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin: 0in 0in 10pt;">
<strong><em><span style="color: #38761d;"><span style="font-family: "Times New Roman","serif"; font-size: 12pt; line-height: 115%;">#9. Electrocution - Some dogs (especially curious
puppies) will chew on or bite electrical cords causing life-threatening
electrocution. Make sure electrical cords are out of reach, taped firmly to
walls or floors.</span><span style="font-family: "MS Mincho"; font-size: 12pt; line-height: 115%; mso-bidi-font-family: "MS Mincho";"> </span><span style="font-family: "Times New Roman","serif"; font-size: 12pt; line-height: 115%;">
Cover wires with a rug if needed and tape the edges down.<o:p></o:p></span></span></em></strong></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin: 0in 0in 10pt;">
<strong><em><span style="color: #38761d;">
<span style="font-family: "Times New Roman","serif"; font-size: 12pt; line-height: 115%; mso-ansi-language: EN-US; mso-bidi-language: AR-SA; mso-fareast-font-family: Calibri; mso-fareast-language: EN-US; mso-fareast-theme-font: minor-latin;">#10. Plant Problems -
Certain plants are a menace to dogs: poinsettias irritate the stomach and eyes.
Berries of the Jerusalem cherry are toxic when ingested and cause pain,
vomiting and diarrhea. Holly and mistletoe, amaryllis, chrysanthemum,
rhododendron and winter broom as well as Christmas berry, cherry, pepper and
rose can all cause problems to pets that ingest them.</span></span></em></strong></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin: 0in 0in 10pt;">
<span style="font-family: "Times New Roman","serif"; font-size: 12pt; line-height: 115%; mso-ansi-language: EN-US; mso-bidi-language: AR-SA; mso-fareast-font-family: Calibri; mso-fareast-language: EN-US; mso-fareast-theme-font: minor-latin;">Adapted from: <span style="font-family: "Times New Roman","serif"; font-size: 12pt; line-height: 115%; mso-ansi-language: EN-US; mso-bidi-language: AR-SA; mso-fareast-font-family: Calibri; mso-fareast-language: EN-US; mso-fareast-theme-font: minor-latin;"><a href="http://view.petplace.com/?j=fe6615737c6604787410&m=feff1273766004&ls=fded10797066007876137876&jb=ffcf14"><span style="color: blue;">http://view.petplace.com/?j=fe6615737c6604787410&m=feff1273766004&ls=fded10797066007876137876&jb=ffcf14</span></a></span></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin: 0in 0in 10pt;">
<span style="font-family: "Times New Roman","serif"; font-size: 12pt; line-height: 115%; mso-ansi-language: EN-US; mso-bidi-language: AR-SA; mso-fareast-font-family: Calibri; mso-fareast-language: EN-US; mso-fareast-theme-font: minor-latin;"><span style="font-family: "Times New Roman","serif"; font-size: 12pt; line-height: 115%; mso-ansi-language: EN-US; mso-bidi-language: AR-SA; mso-fareast-font-family: Calibri; mso-fareast-language: EN-US; mso-fareast-theme-font: minor-latin;">Another way for a pet to be negatively affected by the holidays is to be offered to someone as a gift. Even though this gesture would be meant in a positive way, a gift of a pet during the holidays frequently ends up as a disaster.</span></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin: 0in 0in 10pt;">
<span style="font-family: "Times New Roman","serif"; font-size: 12pt; line-height: 115%; mso-ansi-language: EN-US; mso-bidi-language: AR-SA; mso-fareast-font-family: Calibri; mso-fareast-language: EN-US; mso-fareast-theme-font: minor-latin;"><span style="font-family: "Times New Roman","serif"; font-size: 12pt; line-height: 115%; mso-ansi-language: EN-US; mso-bidi-language: AR-SA; mso-fareast-font-family: Calibri; mso-fareast-language: EN-US; mso-fareast-theme-font: minor-latin;"></span></span><span style="font-family: "Times New Roman","serif"; font-size: 12pt; line-height: 115%; mso-ansi-language: EN-US; mso-bidi-language: AR-SA; mso-fareast-font-family: Calibri; mso-fareast-language: EN-US; mso-fareast-theme-font: minor-latin;"><span style="font-family: "Times New Roman","serif"; font-size: 12pt; line-height: 115%; mso-ansi-language: EN-US; mso-bidi-language: AR-SA; mso-fareast-font-family: Calibri; mso-fareast-language: EN-US; mso-fareast-theme-font: minor-latin;"></span></span> </div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin: 0in 0in 10pt; text-align: center;">
<span style="font-family: "Times New Roman","serif"; font-size: 12pt; line-height: 115%;"><span style="color: black; font-size: x-large;"><strong><em>Pets as gifts? Not a good idea, experts say</em></strong></span></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin: 0in 0in 10pt; text-align: left;">
<span style="font-family: "Times New Roman","serif"; font-size: 12pt; line-height: 115%;"><span style="font-size: x-large;"><span style="color: black;"><span style="font-size: small;">
</span><span style="font-family: "Times New Roman","serif"; font-size: 12pt; line-height: 115%;"><strong><em>If you are thinking about giving someone a pet as a
holiday gift, most animal experts suggest you think again.</em></strong></span></span></span></span></div>
<span style="font-size: x-large;"><span style="color: #351c75;"></span></span><br />
<span style="font-size: x-large;"><span style="color: #351c75;"><div class="MsoNormal" style="margin: 0in 0in 10pt;">
<span style="color: black; font-family: "Times New Roman","serif"; font-size: 12pt; line-height: 115%;"><strong><em>While the
excitement of surprising a loved one with an adorable puppy or kitten may be
tempting, pets are not like a sweater or piece of jewelry that can be easily
returned or re-gifted.</em></strong></span></div>
<span style="color: black;">
</span><div class="MsoNormal" style="margin: 0in 0in 10pt;">
<span style="color: black; font-family: "Times New Roman","serif"; font-size: 12pt; line-height: 115%;"><strong><em>"Pet
ownership is not an impulse to jump into," Dr. Mollie Hurley, of Stack
Veterinary Hospital in Onondaga, said. "And by not talking it over with
the recipient or really thinking things through completely, (giving or
receiving a pet as a gift) might not be as enjoyable as it could be."</em></strong></span></div>
<span style="color: black;">
</span><div class="MsoNormal" style="margin: 0in 0in 10pt;">
<span style="color: black; font-family: "Times New Roman","serif"; font-size: 12pt; line-height: 115%;"><strong><em>Companion
animals may live for 15 years, and need life-long care in homes where they are
loved and treated as members of the family.</em></strong></span></div>
<span style="color: black;">
</span><div class="MsoNormal" style="margin: 0in 0in 10pt;">
<span style="color: black; font-family: "Times New Roman","serif"; font-size: 12pt; line-height: 115%;"><strong><em>"We see
it a lot," Deeann Schaefer, humane educator at Wanderers' Rest Humane
Association, an animal shelter in Canastota, said. "The person they're
giving the pet to may not have time for it, they may not be able to afford a
pet, and some of them may not even want a pet at that particular time."</em></strong></span></div>
<span style="color: black;">
</span><div class="MsoNormal" style="margin: 0in 0in 10pt;">
<span style="color: black; font-family: "Times New Roman","serif"; font-size: 12pt; line-height: 115%;"><strong><em>While a pet
given as a gift initially costs the person on the receiving end little or
nothing, there is no such thing as a "free" animal.</em></strong></span></div>
<span style="color: black;">
</span><div class="MsoNormal" style="margin: 0in 0in 10pt;">
<span style="color: black; font-family: "Times New Roman","serif"; font-size: 12pt; line-height: 115%;"><strong><em>A spread
sheet at aspca.org listed first-year pet care cost estimates -- not including
the cost of purchasing the animal -- ranging from $1,314 for a small dog to
$1,843 for a large dog, and $1,035 for a cat. Of course, that's just for the
first year, and as animals age, their need for veterinary care may increase.</em></strong></span></div>
<span style="color: black;">
</span><div class="MsoNormal" style="margin: 0in 0in 10pt;">
<span style="font-family: "Times New Roman","serif"; font-size: 12pt; line-height: 115%;"><strong><em><span style="color: black;"><span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>Schaefer said
that too often gift animals end up in shelters, which are already filled with
unwanted pets. Or worse, they may be neglected, abused or abandoned. She estimates
the number of dogs and cats at Wanderers' Rest increases by at least 10 to 15
percent after the holidays.</span></em></strong></span></div>
<span style="color: black;">
</span><div class="MsoNormal" style="margin: 0in 0in 10pt;">
<span style="font-family: "Times New Roman","serif"; font-size: 12pt; line-height: 115%;"><strong><em><span style="color: black;"><span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>"People
realize they may have bitten off more than they can chew," Schaefer said.
"We see a lot of kittens and cats coming into the shelter six months
later, when the cuteness has worn off. Same thing with puppies, eight or nine
months later. Suddenly, it's not the cute roly-poly puppy that was underneath
the Christmas tree, it's a dog that's chewing up your furniture."</span></em></strong></span></div>
<span style="color: black;">
</span><div class="MsoNormal" style="margin: 0in 0in 10pt;">
<span style="font-family: "Times New Roman","serif"; font-size: 12pt; line-height: 115%;"><strong><em><span style="color: black;"><span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>Hurley said
adding a young animal to a household at this time of year presents special
challenges.</span></em></strong></span></div>
<span style="color: black;">
</span><div class="MsoNormal" style="margin: 0in 0in 10pt;">
<span style="font-family: "Times New Roman","serif"; font-size: 12pt; line-height: 115%;"><strong><em><span style="color: black;"><span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>"During
the holidays there's a lot of chaos, it's a hectic time. People have a lot of
things going on and may not be able to pay attention to the pet's needs,"
she said.</span></em></strong></span></div>
<span style="color: black;">
</span><div class="MsoNormal" style="margin: 0in 0in 10pt;">
<span style="font-family: "Times New Roman","serif"; font-size: 12pt; line-height: 115%;"><strong><em><span style="color: black;"><span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>Hurley also
cited the health risks of young animals ingesting ribbon and other holiday
items, and added, "Taking a puppy outside every couple hours to get it
potty trained in the winter is certainly not easy," she said.</span></em></strong></span></div>
<span style="color: black;">
</span><div class="MsoNormal" style="margin: 0in 0in 10pt;">
<span style="font-family: "Times New Roman","serif"; font-size: 12pt; line-height: 115%;"><strong><em><span style="color: black;"><span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>Schaefer said
the phones are already ringing at Wanderers' Rest. "We actually have
people calling and asking us, 'When are you getting your puppies in?' like
we're Kmart or something," she said.</span></em></strong></span></div>
<span style="color: black;">
</span><div class="MsoNormal" style="margin: 0in 0in 10pt;">
<span style="font-family: "Times New Roman","serif"; font-size: 12pt; line-height: 115%;"><strong><em><span style="color: black;"><span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>Schaefer
recommends, instead, giving a pet-themed gift basket and a gift certificate
from a shelter, which would allow the recipient to personally pick out his or
her own animal.</span></em></strong></span></div>
<span style="color: black;">
</span><div class="MsoNormal" style="margin: 0in 0in 10pt;">
<span style="font-family: "Times New Roman","serif"; font-size: 12pt; line-height: 115%;"><strong><em><span style="color: black;"><span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>If a person
says they want to adopt a dog or cat to give to someone else, Schaefer said
Wanderers' Rest requires the recipient to come in and confirm that he or she
does indeed want the animal.</span></em></strong></span></div>
<span style="color: black;">
</span><div class="MsoNormal" style="margin: 0in 0in 10pt;">
<span style="font-family: "Times New Roman","serif"; font-size: 12pt; line-height: 115%;"><strong><em><span style="color: black;"><span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>"Is it
going to ruin the surprise? Yes, but we want every family member on
board." Schaefer said.</span></em></strong></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin: 0in 0in 10pt;">
<span style="font-family: "Times New Roman","serif"; font-size: 12pt; line-height: 115%;"><span style="color: black;">Adapted from: <span style="font-family: "Times New Roman","serif"; font-size: 12pt; line-height: 115%;"><a href="http://blog.syracuse.com/cny/2012/12/pets_as_gifts_not_a_good_idea_experts_say.html"><span style="color: blue;">http://blog.syracuse.com/cny/2012/12/pets_as_gifts_not_a_good_idea_experts_say.html</span></a></span></span></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin: 0in 0in 10pt;">
<span style="font-family: "Times New Roman","serif"; font-size: 12pt; line-height: 115%;"><span style="color: black;"><span style="font-family: "Times New Roman","serif"; font-size: 12pt; line-height: 115%;">In addition to being exposed to stressful situations during the holidays, two of the four most common medical problems seen in pets by veterinarians rear their ugly heads during this time as well.</span></span></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin: 0in 0in 10pt; text-align: center;">
<span style="font-family: "Times New Roman","serif"; font-size: 12pt; line-height: 115%;"><span style="font-family: "Times New Roman","serif"; font-size: 12pt; line-height: 115%;"><span style="font-size: x-large;"><span style="color: #741b47;"><span style="font-family: "Times New Roman","serif"; line-height: 115%; mso-ansi-language: EN-US; mso-bidi-language: AR-SA; mso-fareast-font-family: Calibri; mso-fareast-language: EN-US; mso-fareast-theme-font: minor-latin;"><strong><em>Common Dog Emergencies</em></strong></span></span></span></span></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin: 0in 0in 10pt; text-align: left;">
<span style="font-family: "Times New Roman","serif"; font-size: 12pt; line-height: 115%;"><span style="font-family: "Times New Roman","serif"; font-size: 12pt; line-height: 115%;"><span style="font-size: x-large;"><span style="color: #741b47;"><span style="font-family: "Times New Roman","serif"; line-height: 115%; mso-ansi-language: EN-US; mso-bidi-language: AR-SA; mso-fareast-font-family: Calibri; mso-fareast-language: EN-US; mso-fareast-theme-font: minor-latin;"></span><o:p><span style="font-size: small;"><span style="color: black;">
</span><span style="font-family: "Times New Roman","serif"; font-size: 12pt; line-height: 115%;"><strong><em><span style="color: #741b47;">Most pet owners would guess that the most common dog
emergencies are severe traumas. However, the fact is that the most common
reasons for emergency room visits are frequent and minor problems that just
happen to flare up after-hours when regular vets are closed. This leaves
emergency rooms as the only available option for treatment.</span></em></strong></span></span></o:p><span style="font-size: small;"></span></span></span></span></span></div>
<span style="font-size: x-large;"><span style="color: #741b47;"><span style="font-size: small;"><div class="MsoNormal" style="margin: 0in 0in 10pt;">
<span style="font-family: "Times New Roman","serif"; font-size: 12pt; line-height: 115%;"><strong><em><span style="color: #741b47;">Here are the four most common problems:</span></em></strong></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin: 0in 0in 10pt;">
<span style="font-family: "Times New Roman","serif"; font-size: 12pt; line-height: 115%;"><strong><em><span style="color: #741b47;">1. The most common emergency is vomiting. Hands
down, this brings more patients into emergency clinics than any other
condition. One night I was at the local emergency vet and within an hour we saw
3 different dogs come in with vomiting (two were puppies). There are lots of
causes for vomiting, ranging from serious metabolic diseases to dietary
indiscretions. </span></em></strong></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin: 0in 0in 10pt;">
<span style="font-family: "Times New Roman","serif"; font-size: 12pt; line-height: 115%;"><strong><em><span style="color: #741b47;">2. The second most common emergency in dogs is
diarrhea. Parasites, dietary changes or indiscretions, and metabolic diseases
can cause diarrhea. (In fact, many things that can cause vomiting can also
cause diarrhea.) One common cause of vomiting is parvovirus. Commonly called
"parvo," this virus can very quickly weaken an otherwise healthy dog
and is frequently fatal. </span></em></strong></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin: 0in 0in 10pt;">
<span style="font-family: "Times New Roman","serif"; font-size: 12pt; line-height: 115%;"><strong><em><span style="color: #741b47;">3. The third most common dog emergency is not
eating. The lack of an appetite is a common symptom and can be caused by just
about every problem a dog can get, from very minor to serious.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>Because there are so many possible causes
(including infections, trauma, parasites, and various other diseases), this is
one condition that is hard to prevent. Not eating is one of the symptoms that
you should never ignore in your dog. </span></em></strong></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin: 0in 0in 10pt;">
<span style="font-family: "Times New Roman","serif"; font-size: 12pt; line-height: 115%;"><strong><em><span style="color: #741b47;">4. The fourth most common problem is foreign
ingestion (usually called "getting into stuff"). The
"stuff" can be toxins such as household cleaning chemicals or poison,
or even eating a toy that can get caught in their intestines. Every day our
phone rings with calls from owners telling us their dog got into and ate one
thing or another. Foreign bodies are extremely dangerous to your dog. </span></em></strong></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin: 0in 0in 10pt;">
<span style="font-family: "Times New Roman","serif"; font-size: 12pt; line-height: 115%;"><strong><em><span style="color: #741b47;">These four problems are very common and unfortunately
they are likely to affect your pet at one time or another. Many emergencies are
caused by exposure to toxins, owners feeding their pets table scraps and pets
getting access to trash. Please be very careful with what you feed your dog.
Also, do not give any medications unless instructed by your veterinarian.</span></em></strong></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin: 0in 0in 10pt;">
<span style="font-family: "Times New Roman","serif"; font-size: 12pt; line-height: 115%;"><span style="color: black;">Adapted from: <span style="font-family: "Times New Roman","serif"; font-size: 12pt; line-height: 115%; mso-ansi-language: EN-US; mso-bidi-language: AR-SA; mso-fareast-font-family: Calibri; mso-fareast-language: EN-US; mso-fareast-theme-font: minor-latin;"><a href="http://view.petplace.com/?j=fe591574746c007b7213&m=feff1273766004&ls=fded10797066007876137876&jb=ffcf14"><span style="color: blue;">http://view.petplace.com/?j=fe591574746c007b7213&m=feff1273766004&ls=fded10797066007876137876&jb=ffcf14</span></a></span></span></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin: 0in 0in 10pt;">
<span style="font-family: "Times New Roman","serif"; font-size: 12pt; line-height: 115%;"><span style="color: black;"><span style="font-family: "Times New Roman","serif"; font-size: 12pt; line-height: 115%; mso-ansi-language: EN-US; mso-bidi-language: AR-SA; mso-fareast-font-family: Calibri; mso-fareast-language: EN-US; mso-fareast-theme-font: minor-latin;">
</span></span></span></div>
<span style="color: black;"><div class="MsoNormal" style="margin: 0in 0in 10pt; text-align: center;">
<span style="font-family: "Times New Roman","serif"; line-height: 115%;"><span style="color: #0b5394; font-size: x-large;"><strong><em>Why is My Dog Throwing Up?</em></strong></span></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin: 0in 0in 10pt;">
<span style="font-family: "Times New Roman","serif"; font-size: 12pt; line-height: 115%;"><strong><em><span style="color: #0b5394;">We hate to see our dogs in any kind of pain or
discomfort, so naturally we get upset when our dogs throw up and fear the worst.
But there are many different reasons why a dog might throw up, and some are
quite easy to deal with. Here are some reasons why your dog might throw up, and
the things you can do to help him deal with it:</span></em></strong></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin: 0in 0in 10pt;">
<span style="font-family: "Times New Roman","serif"; font-size: 12pt; line-height: 115%;"><strong><em><span style="color: #0b5394;"><u>Eating too fast</u></span></em></strong></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: "Times New Roman","serif"; font-size: 12pt; line-height: 115%;"><strong><em><span style="color: #0b5394;">Sometimes dogs get excited that they're being fed
and wolf down their food too quickly. When this happens, they might end up
regurgitating partially eaten food almost immediately after they're done
eating. To prevent this, you can feed your dog smaller portions more
frequently. This will limit how much they can eat at one time and increase the
chance that they will digest their food rather than regurgitating it</span></em></strong></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin: 0in 0in 10pt;">
<span style="font-family: "Times New Roman","serif"; font-size: 12pt; line-height: 115%;"><strong><em><span style="color: #0b5394;"><u>Intestinal parasites</u></span></em></strong></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin: 0in 0in 10pt;">
<span style="font-family: "Times New Roman","serif"; font-size: 12pt; line-height: 115%;"><strong><em><span style="color: #0b5394;">These tiny critters can cause a world of pain for a
dog, especially a small puppy. Intestinal parasites can cause vomiting and
diarrhea as well as inflammation, intestinal damage, and worse. Dogs typically
pick up parasites from yards and parks, especially when eating or drinking
something unfamiliar. There are many effective medications to help your dog get
rid of common parasites but don't try this at home. Take him in to the vet's
with a stool sample (very important!) and your vet should be able to address
the situation safely and quickly</span></em></strong></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin: 0in 0in 10pt;">
<span style="font-family: "Times New Roman","serif"; font-size: 12pt; line-height: 115%;"><strong><em><span style="color: #0b5394;"><u>Table scraps</u></span></em></strong></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin: 0in 0in 10pt;">
<span style="font-family: "Times New Roman","serif"; font-size: 12pt; line-height: 115%;"><strong><em><span style="color: #0b5394;">Do you feed your dog human food from time to time?
You will want to shake that habit. Feeding your dog table scraps can lead to
stomach problems since it can upset his stomach and prevent him from getting
the proper nutrition. Some seemingly “healthy” foods can be harmful in other
ways. Chicken bones, for instance, are very sharp and can cause intestinal
bleeding and vomiting if ingested and broken.</span></em></strong></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin: 0in 0in 10pt;">
<span style="font-family: "Times New Roman","serif"; font-size: 12pt; line-height: 115%;"><strong><em><span style="color: #0b5394;">If your dog begs while you eat, try putting him in
another room while everyone eats. Feed him at the same time as the humans eat,
or give him a fun toy to play with to distract him. He might very well whine
but you need to stay strong. Over time the begging behavior will decrease.</span></em></strong></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: "Times New Roman","serif"; font-size: 12pt; line-height: 115%;"><strong><em><span style="color: #0b5394;"><u>Food intolerance</u></span></em></strong></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin: 0in 0in 10pt;">
<span style="font-family: "Times New Roman","serif"; font-size: 12pt; line-height: 115%;"><strong><em><span style="color: #0b5394;">If your dog is throwing up after every meal, he may
simply be allergic to his current food. You can figure out if your dog has a
food intolerance by eliminating ingredients one-by-one from his diet. If the
vomiting stops once an ingredient is omitted (or resumes when it is added
again), you have probably found your culprit.</span></em></strong></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: "Times New Roman","serif"; font-size: 12pt; line-height: 115%;"><strong><em><span style="color: #0b5394;">Whatever the reason for your dog's upset stomach,
you'll want to make sure you're providing an excellent diet when your dog feels
better. <o:p></o:p></span></em></strong></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin: 0in 0in 10pt;">
<strong><em><span style="color: #0b5394;">
<span style="font-family: "Times New Roman","serif"; font-size: 12pt; line-height: 115%; mso-ansi-language: EN-US; mso-bidi-language: AR-SA; mso-fareast-font-family: Calibri; mso-fareast-language: EN-US; mso-fareast-theme-font: minor-latin;">While the above are
common reasons for dogs to vomit, please remember that if your dog keeps
vomiting for more than a day, you must get him to a veterinarian! Many times an
upset stomach is nothing to be worried about, but sometimes it can be a sign of
illness that needs treatment. If you're not sure if you should be concerned,
call your vet and ask.</span></span></em></strong></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin: 0in 0in 10pt;">
<span style="font-family: "Times New Roman","serif"; font-size: 12pt; line-height: 115%; mso-ansi-language: EN-US; mso-bidi-language: AR-SA; mso-fareast-font-family: Calibri; mso-fareast-language: EN-US; mso-fareast-theme-font: minor-latin;"><span style="color: black;">Adapted from: <span style="font-family: "Times New Roman","serif"; font-size: 12pt; line-height: 115%;"><a href="http://view.ed4.net/v/S1UHVJC/WJ5H/AWAW4YC/K2DQV/FORMAT=H"><span style="color: blue;">http://view.ed4.net/v/S1UHVJC/WJ5H/AWAW4YC/K2DQV/FORMAT=H</span></a><o:p></o:p></span></span></span></div>
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</div>
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<span style="font-family: "Times New Roman","serif"; font-size: 12pt; line-height: 115%;"><span style="font-size: x-large;"><strong><em><span style="color: #b45f06;">Vomiting in Dogs<o:p></o:p></span></em></strong></span></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin: 0in 0in 10pt;">
<span style="font-family: "Times New Roman","serif"; font-size: 12pt; line-height: 115%;"><span style="color: #b45f06;"><strong><em><span style="color: #b45f06;">At one time or another your dog may have a bout of
vomiting. Usually he'll have eaten something disagreeable, eaten too much or
too fast, exercised too soon after </span></em></strong><span style="font-family: "Times New Roman","serif"; font-size: 12pt; line-height: 115%;"><span style="color: black;"><strong><em><span style="color: #b45f06;">eating or any number of non-serious
conditions. Vomiting may be a sign of a very minor problem. Or it may be a sign
of something very serious.</span></em></strong> </span></span></span><span style="color: black;">
</span></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: "Times New Roman","serif"; font-size: 12pt; line-height: 115%;"><strong><em><span style="color: #b45f06;">Vomiting (emesis) is the act of expelling contents
from the stomach through the mouth. It's a reflex act, involving a triggering
stimulus (such as inflammation of the stomach), the central nervous system and
abdominal muscles that work together to expel the contents from the stomach.
There are multiple causes of vomiting. An occasional, infrequent isolated
episode of vomiting is usually normal. </span></em></strong></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: "Times New Roman","serif"; font-size: 12pt; line-height: 115%;"><strong><em><span style="color: #b45f06;">Vomiting is a symptom that can be caused by
disorders of the gastrointestinal system (stomach and/or intestines) or it can
be secondary to a disease from a different system (such as from cancer, kidney
failure, diabetes, or infectious diseases). This can make the diagnosis of the
cause of the vomiting a challenge.</span></em></strong></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: "Times New Roman","serif"; font-size: 12pt; line-height: 115%;"><strong><em><span style="color: #b45f06;">Vomiting can be defined as acute (sudden onset) or
chronic (longer duration of one to two weeks). The severity or concurrence of
other signs will determine the recommendation of specific diagnostic tests.
Important considerations include monitoring the duration and frequency of the
vomiting. If your pet vomits once then eats normally with no further vomiting,
has a normal bowel movement and is acting playful, then the problem may resolve
on its own. If the vomiting continues after your pet eats or if your pet acts
lethargic, or doesn't want to eat, then medical attention is warranted.</span></em></strong></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: "Times New Roman","serif"; font-size: 12pt; line-height: 115%;"><strong><em><span style="color: #b45f06;"><u>What to Watch For:</u></span></em></strong></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: "Times New Roman","serif"; font-size: 12pt; line-height: 115%;"><strong><em><span style="color: #b45f06;">• Dehydration</span></em></strong></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: "Times New Roman","serif"; font-size: 12pt; line-height: 115%;"><strong><em><span style="color: #b45f06;">• Lethargy</span></em></strong></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: "Times New Roman","serif"; font-size: 12pt; line-height: 115%;"><strong><em><span style="color: #b45f06;">• Diarrhea</span></em></strong></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: "Times New Roman","serif"; font-size: 12pt; line-height: 115%;"><strong><em><span style="color: #b45f06;">• Weight Loss</span></em></strong></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: "Times New Roman","serif"; font-size: 12pt; line-height: 115%;"><strong><em><span style="color: #b45f06;">• Blood in the vomit</span></em></strong></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: "Times New Roman","serif"; font-size: 12pt; line-height: 115%;"><strong><em><span style="color: #b45f06;">• Ineffective vomiting</span></em></strong></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: "Times New Roman","serif"; font-size: 12pt; line-height: 115%;"><strong><em><span style="color: #b45f06;"><u>Diagnosis:</u></span></em></strong></span></div>
</span><div class="MsoNormal" style="margin: 0in 0in 10pt;">
<span style="color: #b45f06;"><strong><em><span style="font-family: "Times New Roman","serif"; font-size: 12pt; line-height: 115%; mso-ansi-language: EN-US; mso-bidi-language: AR-SA; mso-fareast-font-family: Calibri; mso-fareast-language: EN-US; mso-fareast-theme-font: minor-latin;">Optimal therapy of
any serious or persistent medical condition depends on establishing the correct
diagnosis. There are numerous potential causes of vomiting and before any
treatment can be recommended, it is important to identify the underlying cause.
Initial therapy should be aimed at the underlying cause.</span></em></strong></span>
</div>
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<span style="font-family: "Times New Roman","serif"; font-size: 12pt; line-height: 115%;"><strong><em><span style="color: #b45f06;"><u>Treatments </u>for vomiting may include one or more of
the following:</span></em></strong></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: "Times New Roman","serif"; font-size: 12pt; line-height: 115%;"><strong><em><span style="color: #b45f06;">• Eliminate predisposing cause (exposure to trash,
change in diet, eating plants, etc).</span></em></strong></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: "Times New Roman","serif"; font-size: 12pt; line-height: 115%;"><strong><em><span style="color: #b45f06;">• An acute episode of vomiting in a playful pet, in
the absence of other physical abnormalities, may be treated symptomatically
without hospitalization (outpatient treatment). Outpatient treatment may
consist of subcutaneous fluids, injectable antiemetics (drugs used to control
nausea and vomiting) and a follow-up appointment if the symptoms are not
resolved immediately. </span></em></strong></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: "Times New Roman","serif"; font-size: 12pt; line-height: 115%;"><strong><em><span style="color: #b45f06;">• Pets that have abdominal pain, diarrhea and act
lethargic or have any other physical abnormality, may be treated with
hospitalization. Hospital therapy may include intravenous fluid administration,
24-hour monitoring, and drug therapy. This is often combined with diagnostic
testing to determine the cause of the vomiting. </span></em></strong></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: "Times New Roman","serif"; font-size: 12pt; line-height: 115%;"><strong><em><span style="color: #b45f06;">• Sick pets may require referral to an emergency or
24 hour hospital that offers around-the-clock care.</span></em></strong></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: "Times New Roman","serif"; font-size: 12pt; line-height: 115%;"><span style="color: #b45f06;"><o:p><span style="color: black;">Adapted from:</span> <span style="font-family: "Times New Roman","serif"; font-size: 12pt; line-height: 115%; mso-ansi-language: EN-US; mso-bidi-language: AR-SA; mso-fareast-font-family: Calibri; mso-fareast-language: EN-US; mso-fareast-theme-font: minor-latin;"><a href="http://www.petplace.com/dogs/vomiting-in-dogs/page1.aspx"><span style="color: blue;">http://www.petplace.com/dogs/vomiting-in-dogs/page1.aspx</span></a></span></o:p></span></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: "Times New Roman","serif"; font-size: 12pt; line-height: 115%;"><span style="color: #b45f06;"><o:p><span style="font-family: "Times New Roman","serif"; font-size: 12pt; line-height: 115%; mso-ansi-language: EN-US; mso-bidi-language: AR-SA; mso-fareast-font-family: Calibri; mso-fareast-language: EN-US; mso-fareast-theme-font: minor-latin;"><span style="color: black;">
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<span style="font-family: "Times New Roman","serif"; line-height: 115%;"><strong><em><span style="color: #7f6000; font-size: x-large;">Vomiting in the Cat</span></em></strong></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: "Times New Roman","serif"; font-size: 12pt; line-height: 115%;"><strong><em><span style="color: #7f6000;">Vomiting, or the forceful ejection of stomach and
proximal duodenal (upper small intestinal) contents through the mouth, is a
symptom commonly observed in cats; it is not a disease. Your cat’s vomiting can
be a symptom of any one of a wide range of acute or chronic illnesses
encompassing almost all body systems, from cardiovascular and respiratory to
gastrointestinal to renal (kidney) to dermatologic. Differentiating vomiting
from coughing and regurgitation is important.</span></em></strong></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: "Times New Roman","serif"; font-size: 12pt; line-height: 115%;"><strong><em><span style="color: #7f6000;">When a cat is vomiting, you should see a
considerable amount of abdominal movement. The cat's abdomen will seem to
pulsate violently, and the cat's head might appear to bob. </span></em></strong></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: "Times New Roman","serif"; font-size: 12pt; line-height: 115%;"><strong><em><span style="color: #7f6000;">Coughing involves the thorax rather than the
abdomen. A cat that is coughing will often crane its head and neck forward,
holding its head still while keeping its front paws under its chest and its
elbows off to the side.</span></em></strong></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: "Times New Roman","serif"; font-size: 12pt; line-height: 115%;"><strong><em><span style="color: #7f6000;">Regurgitation, or the passive expulsion of food or
fluid from the oral cavity, pharyngeal cavity, or esophagus, usually is sudden,
without the violent wind-up that proceeds vomiting. A regurgitating cat might
be silent or could sound like it's gagging. </span></em></strong></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: "Times New Roman","serif"; font-size: 12pt; line-height: 115%;"><strong><em><span style="color: #7f6000;">If your cat has recently been vomiting or vomits
more than once a month, please consult with your veterinarian. The websites
reviewed in this Cat Health Topic can help you determine whether your cat is
vomiting, what other signs to look for, when you should go to your
veterinarian, and what tests might be needed to determine what is causing your
cat's vomiting.</span></em></strong></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: "Times New Roman","serif"; font-size: 12pt; line-height: 115%;"><span style="color: black;">Adapted from: <span style="font-family: "Times New Roman","serif"; font-size: 12pt; line-height: 115%;"><a href="http://www.catvets.com/healthtopics/signs_symptoms/?Id=302"><span style="color: blue;">http://www.catvets.com/healthtopics/signs_symptoms/?Id=302</span></a></span></span></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: "Times New Roman","serif"; font-size: 12pt; line-height: 115%;"><span style="color: black;"><span style="font-family: "Times New Roman","serif"; font-size: 12pt; line-height: 115%;">There are so many things to enjoy and have fun with over the holidays...getting together with good friends, sharing festive moments and the excitement of the beginning of a new year. Don't ruin those good times by creating problems for your pets.</span></span></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: "Times New Roman","serif"; font-size: 12pt; line-height: 115%;"><span style="color: black;"><span style="font-family: "Times New Roman","serif"; font-size: 12pt; line-height: 115%;">Due to an Internet "bottom feeder" sending distasteful comments, Helpful Buckeye has installed a slight change in the process for sending a comment at the end of each issue of <strong><span style="color: #990000;">Questions On Dogs and Cats</span></strong>. While still welcoming comments, Helpful Buckeye also encourages readers to send an e-mail with your questions and comments to: <a href="mailto:dogcatvethelp@gmail.com">dogcatvethelp@gmail.com</a> </span></span></span><br />
<span style="color: black;"></span><br />
<span style="color: black; font-size: x-large;"><strong>SPORTS NEWS</strong></span><br />
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiXGOAKfdyBIe4-oewLINhFwNZWbNiDCulfKODjDNKN8-fO2kQQpiDkg3Kvgwg3qrMM7JC3ENb5qh4a-a_cZh-5x_3-hj5h8S__9Ao1nhvjQInO68NKF34w8vacAHbNYy7wzN6EO9ZpqP0/s1600/sports+balls.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"></a><br /></div>
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiXGOAKfdyBIe4-oewLINhFwNZWbNiDCulfKODjDNKN8-fO2kQQpiDkg3Kvgwg3qrMM7JC3ENb5qh4a-a_cZh-5x_3-hj5h8S__9Ao1nhvjQInO68NKF34w8vacAHbNYy7wzN6EO9ZpqP0/s1600/sports+balls.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiXGOAKfdyBIe4-oewLINhFwNZWbNiDCulfKODjDNKN8-fO2kQQpiDkg3Kvgwg3qrMM7JC3ENb5qh4a-a_cZh-5x_3-hj5h8S__9Ao1nhvjQInO68NKF34w8vacAHbNYy7wzN6EO9ZpqP0/s1600/sports+balls.jpg" /></a><span style="color: black;">The <strong><span style="background-color: #f1c232;">Pittsburgh Steelers</span></strong> gave away the game to the Cowboys, first of all with a fumble in the 4th quarter, then an interception in overtime. Shoddy play by a very shoddy team...not a winning combination.</span><br />
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<strong><span style="color: black;"></span></strong><br />
<strong><span style="color: black; font-size: x-large;">PERSONAL STUFF</span></strong><br />
<span style="color: black;">As the Steve Miller Band sang, we've just been keepin' on keepin' on....</span><br />
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</span><br />
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<em><span style="color: black;">~~The goal of this blog is to
provide general information and advice to help you be a better pet owner and to
have a more rewarding relationship with your pet. This blog does not intend to
replace the professional one-on-one care your pet receives from a practicing
veterinarian. When in doubt about your pet's health, always visit a
veterinarian.~~</span></em></div>
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<span id="goog_86681688"></span><span id="goog_86681689"></span><br />Helpful Buckeyehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/18134633849820948837noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-16663019142577616.post-71683980467325888112012-12-10T00:00:00.000-07:002012-12-10T04:05:25.231-07:00PETS AND HUMANS SHARE DISEASES<strong><em><span style="color: #0b5394;"></span></em></strong><br />
<span style="font-family: Times, "Times New Roman", serif;">Before we get into pet-related matters, Helpful Buckeye would like to take a moment to honor and remember one of our all-time great jazz musicians, Dave Brubeck, who passed away this week. Way back in the early 1960s, Helpful Buckeye was beginning to appreciate the "new" style of jazz as played by Stan Getz, Vince Guaraldi, Ramsey Lewis, Harold Betters and, of course, Dave Brubeck. I would stop at the old public library in Greensburg, PA, on my way home from school and listen to the LP albums of these jazz giants. Even though my musical tastes have diversified, I still listen to my collection of those great old jazz legends. For your enjoyment, listen to Dave Brubeck's best-known classic, <strong><em>Take Five,</em></strong> with Dave on the piano and featuring Paul Desmond on the saxophone:</span><br />
<span style="font-family: Times;"></span><br />
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<a href="http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=faJE92phKzI">http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=faJE92phKzI</a></div>
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An interesting sidelight about Dave Brubeck comes from his biography: </div>
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<strong><em>Intending to work with his father on their ranch, Brubeck entered the College of the Pacific (late 1930s) in Stockton, CA (now the University of the Pacific), studying veterinary science, but transferred on the urging of the head of zoology, Dr. Arnold, who told him "Brubeck, your mind's not here. It's across the lawn in the music conservatory. Please go there. Stop wasting my time and yours". </em></strong>From: <a href="http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Dave_Brubeck">http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Dave_Brubeck</a></div>
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<br /></div>
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Anyway, let's talk about a little "veterinary science" as it pertains to health and disease concerns of both pets and their humans.</div>
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<span style="font-family: "Times New Roman","serif"; font-size: 12pt; line-height: 115%;"><strong><span style="color: #0b5394; font-size: x-large;"><em>Pets share our environment and our diseases; </em></span></strong></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: "Times New Roman","serif"; font-size: 12pt; line-height: 115%;"><strong><span style="color: #0b5394; font-size: x-large;"><em>doctors
and vets investigating risks</em></span></strong> <o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: "Times New Roman","serif"; font-size: 12pt; line-height: 115%;"><strong><em><span style="color: #0b5394;">When Janet Riordan returned home from a vacation,
she expected a storm of tail wagging and barking from her 7-year-old golden
retriever, Reggie. The moment she saw him, she knew something was wrong. “He
came to me in my arms and appeared to be sobbing. I had never seen an animal
behave like that,” said Riordan, who lives in a suburb of Milwaukee, Wis. A
veterinarian confirmed her fears: Reggie had an aggressive form of lymphoma.
Riordan knew the toll that lymphoma could take. Four years earlier her father
died of it. “It was devastating,” Riordan said. “I never thought I would lose
my dad and my dog to the same disease.” Pet owners share their homes, their
exercise habits and sometimes even their food with their four-legged
companions. And increasingly, they are sharing the same diseases: Dogs and cats
suffer from obesity, diabetes, heart disease, cancer, thyroid disorders and
asthma, just like humans. Now researchers are examining the role that
pollutants and other environmental factors may play in these dual diseases.
Doctors and veterinarians have begun to work together to investigate common
risk factors, such as pesticides, air pollutants, cigarette smoke and household
chemicals.</span></em></strong></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: "Times New Roman","serif"; font-size: 12pt; line-height: 115%;"><strong><em><span style="color: #0b5394;">…Pet owners share their homes, their exercise habits
and sometimes even their food with their four-legged companions. And
increasingly, they are sharing the same diseases: Dogs and cats suffer from
obesity, diabetes, heart disease, cancer, thyroid disorders and asthma, just
like humans. </span></em></strong></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: "Times New Roman","serif"; font-size: 12pt; line-height: 115%;"><strong><em><span style="color: #0b5394;">Now researchers are examining the role that
pollutants and other environmental factors may play in these dual diseases.
Doctors and veterinarians have begun to work together to investigate common
risk factors, such as pesticides, air pollutants, cigarette smoke and household
chemicals. </span></em></strong></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: "Times New Roman","serif"; font-size: 12pt; line-height: 115%;"><strong><em><span style="color: #0b5394;">Pets, like many young children, often have higher
exposures to lawn and garden pesticides and to household chemicals that can
accumulate in dust or on carpets. “Because our pets share our environments,
they are exposed to many of the same pollutants as us,” said Melissa Paoloni, a
veterinary oncologist at the National Cancer Institute in Maryland. </span></em></strong></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: "Times New Roman","serif"; font-size: 12pt; line-height: 115%;"><strong><em><span style="color: #0b5394;">Pets, like many young children, often have higher
exposures to lawn and garden pesticides and to household chemicals that can
accumulate in dust or on carpets. </span></em></strong></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: "Times New Roman","serif"; font-size: 12pt; line-height: 115%;"><strong><em><span style="color: #0b5394;">Scientific research is beginning to reveal some
links between their environment and their health. Lawn care chemicals may
increase the risk of canine lymphoma and bladder cancer. Cats exposed to flame
retardants have a higher rate of thyroid disease, according to one study. And
researchers are launching the Golden Retriever Lifetime Study, the largest
project ever to tackle disease prevention and treatment in dogs. </span></em></strong></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: "Times New Roman","serif"; font-size: 12pt; line-height: 115%;"><strong><em><span style="color: #0b5394;">“People are beginning to realize the untapped
resource that companion animals present for research in human health,” said
Rodney Page, director of the Colorado State University’s Animal Cancer Center.</span></em></strong></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: "Times New Roman","serif"; font-size: 12pt; line-height: 115%;"><strong><em><span style="color: #0b5394;">Studies in pets can never replace studies in humans,
but they can present corroborating evidence. Linking pollutants to human health
effects can prove controversial, “but if we can find the same links in dogs or
cats, that can have a powerful effect,” said John Reif, a Colorado State
University veterinarian and epidemiologist. “It’s one more piece of evidence
that the link is a real one.”</span></em></strong></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: "Times New Roman","serif"; font-size: 12pt; line-height: 115%;"><strong><em><span style="color: #0b5394;">…Malignant lymphoma in dogs closely resembles
non-Hodgkin’s lymphoma. More than 60,000 Americans a year are diagnosed with
the disease, making it the sixth most common cancer in the United States. </span></em></strong></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: "Times New Roman","serif"; font-size: 12pt; line-height: 115%;"><strong><em><span style="color: #0b5394;">“The close interaction and shared household
environments of dogs and their human owners provides a unique opportunity for
evaluating how herbicide and pesticide exposure may contribute to human
non-Hodgkin’s lymphoma,” the study authors wrote.</span></em></strong></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: "Times New Roman","serif"; font-size: 12pt; line-height: 115%;"><strong><em><span style="color: #0b5394;">Pesticides may increase the risk of the disease in
people, too. Last year, Danish researchers found that people with high levels
of DDT and other organochlorine pesticides were more likely to develop
non-Hodgkin’s lymphoma years later. </span></em></strong></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: "Times New Roman","serif"; font-size: 12pt; line-height: 115%;"><strong><em><span style="color: #0b5394;">“Clearly dogs are not humans, but physiologically
speaking, they are very similar,” said Lisa Barber, a veterinary oncologist at
Tufts University and study author. </span></em></strong></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: "Times New Roman","serif"; font-size: 12pt; line-height: 115%;"><strong><em><span style="color: #0b5394;">“The most heartbreaking thing is their short
lifespan. It’s also what makes them useful models for human disease,” she said.
Because dogs live accelerated lives compared with humans, researchers can
gather information on a lifetime of exposure much more quickly than in people. </span></em></strong></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: "Times New Roman","serif"; font-size: 12pt; line-height: 115%;"><strong><em><span style="color: #0b5394;">Using animals as sentinels for human health is not a
new concept. More than 100 years ago, miners took caged canaries into coal
mines to warn them of toxic gases.</span></em></strong></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: "Times New Roman","serif"; font-size: 12pt; line-height: 115%;"><strong><em><span style="color: #0b5394;">Pets also played an important role in drawing a link
between asbestos and mesothelioma. In the 1980s, researchers found high levels
of asbestos fibers in the lungs of pet dogs diagnosed with the lung disease.
The finding helped increase understanding of the threats that asbestos posed to
people, said Reif from Colorado State. </span></em></strong></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: "Times New Roman","serif"; font-size: 12pt; line-height: 115%;"><strong><em><span style="color: #0b5394;">More recently, researchers have found that ozone,
the main ingredient of smog, may contribute to asthma in cats, and household
tobacco smoke may be a risk factor for nose, throat and lung cancers in dogs. </span></em></strong></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: "Times New Roman","serif"; font-size: 12pt; line-height: 115%;"><strong><em><span style="color: #0b5394;">A rise in hyperthyroidism in cats also has been
linked to brominated flame retardants, which are used in upholstery and
electronics and contaminate dust and canned cat foods. Cats with overactive
thyroids – which can lead to weight loss, increased appetite, hyperactivity and
death – had higher blood levels of the chemicals, according to one small study
led by Environmental Protection Agency scientists.</span></em></strong></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: "Times New Roman","serif"; font-size: 12pt; line-height: 115%;"><strong><em><span style="color: #0b5394;">Brominated fire retardants, used in upholstery and
electronics, have been linked to an increase in hyperthyroidism in cats.</span></em></strong></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: "Times New Roman","serif"; font-size: 12pt; line-height: 115%;"><strong><em><span style="color: #0b5394;">Because of their meticulous grooming habits, cats
may ingest a lot of dust. The link to hyperthyroidism in felines “should be
alarming to parents of crawling toddlers who explore their environments by
putting everything in their mouths,” said Donna Mensching, veterinary medical
director of the Washington Poison Center in Seattle.</span></em></strong></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: "Times New Roman","serif"; font-size: 12pt; line-height: 115%;"><strong><em><span style="color: #0b5394;">Toddlers with high exposure to the flame retardants
have lower IQs, according to one study. The chemicals also have been linked to
altered thyroid hormones in pregnant women, which might harm a baby’s brain
development. </span></em></strong></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: "Times New Roman","serif"; font-size: 12pt; line-height: 115%;"><strong><em><span style="color: #0b5394;">Looking at the way environmental pollutants might
interact with genetics in animal breeds susceptible to certain diseases may
benefit human health as well. </span></em></strong></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: "Times New Roman","serif"; font-size: 12pt; line-height: 115%;"><strong><em><span style="color: #0b5394;">“We know something about their breed history and
susceptibility to certain diseases, which may make it easier to tease out
gene-environment interactions,” said Dr. Robert A. Hiatt, an epidemiologist at
the University of San Francisco and a former family physician.</span></em></strong></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: "Times New Roman","serif"; font-size: 12pt; line-height: 115%;"><strong><em><span style="color: #0b5394;">The functions of certain genes are very similar in
dogs and humans, according to Hiatt. “What we learn from pets may also be
applicable to humans,” he said.</span></em></strong></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: "Times New Roman","serif"; font-size: 12pt; line-height: 115%;"><strong><em><span style="color: #0b5394;">…“We can cure anything in a mouse, but so many times
new drugs fail miserably when taken straight from lab animals to human trials,”
said Heather Wilson-Robles, a veterinary oncologist at Texas A&M
University.</span></em></strong></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: "Times New Roman","serif"; font-size: 12pt; line-height: 115%;"><strong><em><span style="color: #0b5394;">Dogs and cats develop diseases spontaneously for
many of the same reasons people do, which means experts can predict from pets
how a new drug may act in humans. “Mouse models are really important in the
development of new treatments, but we are skipping a step when we take a drug
from lab animals to humans without first looking to our veterinary patients,”
Wilson-Robles said.<o:p></o:p></span></em></strong></span></div>
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Adapted from: <span style="font-family: "Calibri","sans-serif"; font-size: 11pt; line-height: 115%; mso-ansi-language: EN-US; mso-ascii-theme-font: minor-latin; mso-bidi-font-family: "Times New Roman"; mso-bidi-language: AR-SA; mso-bidi-theme-font: minor-bidi; mso-fareast-font-family: Calibri; mso-fareast-language: EN-US; mso-fareast-theme-font: minor-latin; mso-hansi-theme-font: minor-latin;"><a href="http://www.environmentalhealthnews.org/ehs/news/2012/pets-and-environmental-health"><span style="font-family: "Times New Roman","serif"; font-size: 12pt; line-height: 115%;"><span style="color: blue;">http://www.environmentalhealthnews.org/ehs/news/2012/pets-and-environmental-health</span></span></a></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: "Times New Roman","serif"; font-size: 12pt; line-height: 115%;"><strong><em><span style="color: #990000;"><span style="font-size: x-large;">Are Animal-Borne Diseases on the Rise?<o:p></o:p></span></span></em></strong></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: "Times New Roman","serif"; font-size: 12pt; line-height: 115%;"><strong><em><span style="color: #990000;">From hantavirus to bird flu to West Nile, diseases
crossing from animals to people is becoming more common thanks to global
warming.</span></em></strong></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: "Times New Roman","serif"; font-size: 12pt; line-height: 115%;"><strong><em><span style="color: #990000;">A string of recent reports of people falling ill and
dying of diseases that spread to people from animals might have you wondering:
Are animal-borne diseases on the rise?</span></em></strong></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: "Times New Roman","serif"; font-size: 12pt; line-height: 115%;"><strong><em><span style="color: #990000;">This summer, three people died and eight were
infected with hantavirus -- a disease carried by rodents -- after visiting
Yosemite National Park; a Colorado girl reportedly contracted the plague from
flea bites she received while camping; researchers reported the cases of two
Missouri men infected with a never-before-seen virus carried by ticks; and
nearly 2,000 people across the United States fell ill with West Nile virus,
which is carried by mosquitoes.</span></em></strong></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: "Times New Roman","serif"; font-size: 12pt; line-height: 115%;"><strong><em><span style="color: #990000;">Experts say the number of new diseases crossing from
animals to people has indeed increased in recent years, from fewer than 20 in
the 1940s to about 50 in the 1980s, according to a 2008 study published in the
journal Nature. Between 1990 and 2000, more than half of newly identified
infectious diseases originated in wildlife, the study says.</span></em></strong></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: "Times New Roman","serif"; font-size: 12pt; line-height: 115%;"><strong><em><span style="color: #990000;">It's possible the increase is partly due to better
detection of diseases, as well as new technologies that allow researchers to
better study viruses, said Tony Goldberg, a professor at the University of
Wisconsin-Madison's School of Veterinary Medicine.</span></em></strong></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: "Times New Roman","serif"; font-size: 12pt; line-height: 115%;"><strong><em><span style="color: #990000;">But there is also evidence the rise represents a
true increase in the number of diseases that spread to people from animals.
"The general feeling is that something is changing," Goldberg said.</span></em></strong></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: "Times New Roman","serif"; font-size: 12pt; line-height: 115%;"><strong><em><span style="color: #990000;">Global changes, including movement of people,
deforestation and climate change, may all be contributing to the more rapid
emergence of animal-borne diseases in people, Goldberg said.</span></em></strong></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: "Times New Roman","serif"; font-size: 12pt; line-height: 115%;"><strong><em><span style="color: #990000;">For instance, the ticks that carry Lyme disease
prefer the type of habitats that arise when forests are fragmented, as occurs
with deforestation, Goldberg said. Deforestation is sometimes done for the
development of new housing complexes close to the wilderness, bringing people
into contact with these ticks, he said.</span></em></strong></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: "Times New Roman","serif"; font-size: 12pt; line-height: 115%;"><strong><em><span style="color: #990000;">Global travel also allows diseases to spread quickly
around the world. It's thought that West Nile virus, which arrived in New York
City in 1999, came here from Europe or the Middle East, Goldberg said. The
virus was first seen in Africa in the 1930s.</span></em></strong></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: "Times New Roman","serif"; font-size: 12pt; line-height: 115%;"><strong><em><span style="color: #990000;">It's likely the next big infectious disease that
will pose a threat to humans will come from animals, Goldberg said.</span></em></strong></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: "Times New Roman","serif"; font-size: 12pt; line-height: 115%;"><strong><em><span style="color: #990000;">"That’s what almost everybody will put their
money on," he said.</span></em></strong></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: "Times New Roman","serif"; font-size: 12pt; line-height: 115%;"><strong><em><span style="color: #990000;">About three-quarters of all known human infectious
diseases cross directly from animals to humans (like West Nile virus), or came
from animals in the recent past (such as HIV), Goldberg said.</span></em></strong></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: "Times New Roman","serif"; font-size: 12pt; line-height: 115%;"><strong><em><span style="color: #990000;">Avoiding risky interactions between animals and
people, and educating people about ways to avoid exposure to animal-borne
diseases, may help reduce the risk of new infectious diseases, Goldberg said.<o:p></o:p></span></em></strong></span></div>
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<strong><em><span style="color: #990000;">
<span style="font-family: "Times New Roman","serif"; font-size: 12pt; line-height: 115%; mso-ansi-language: EN-US; mso-bidi-language: AR-SA; mso-fareast-font-family: Calibri; mso-fareast-language: EN-US; mso-fareast-theme-font: minor-latin;">Vaccinating people
and animals to eradicate diseases in certain areas may also help, but such
vaccination programs tend to be costly, he said.</span></span></em></strong></div>
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<strong><em><span style="color: #990000;"><span style="font-family: "Times New Roman","serif"; font-size: 12pt; line-height: 115%; mso-ansi-language: EN-US; mso-bidi-language: AR-SA; mso-fareast-font-family: Calibri; mso-fareast-language: EN-US; mso-fareast-theme-font: minor-latin;"></span></span></em></strong><br /></div>
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<span style="font-family: "Times New Roman","serif"; font-size: 12pt; line-height: 115%; mso-ansi-language: EN-US; mso-bidi-language: AR-SA; mso-fareast-font-family: Calibri; mso-fareast-language: EN-US; mso-fareast-theme-font: minor-latin;"><span style="color: black;">Adapted from: <span style="font-family: "Calibri","sans-serif"; font-size: 11pt; line-height: 115%; mso-ansi-language: EN-US; mso-ascii-theme-font: minor-latin; mso-bidi-font-family: "Times New Roman"; mso-bidi-language: AR-SA; mso-bidi-theme-font: minor-bidi; mso-fareast-font-family: Calibri; mso-fareast-language: EN-US; mso-fareast-theme-font: minor-latin; mso-hansi-theme-font: minor-latin;"><a href="http://news.discovery.com/human/animal-borne-diseases-120910.html"><span style="font-family: "Times New Roman","serif"; font-size: 12pt; line-height: 115%;"><span style="color: blue;">http://news.discovery.com/human/animal-borne-diseases-120910.html</span></span></a></span></span></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: "Times New Roman","serif"; font-size: 12pt; line-height: 115%;"><strong><span style="font-size: x-large;"><em><span style="color: #38761d;">Humans are disrupting the natural balance<o:p></o:p></span></em></span></strong></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: "Times New Roman","serif"; font-size: 12pt; line-height: 115%;">By Sharon Deem</span></div>
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<span style="font-family: "Times New Roman","serif"; font-size: 12pt; line-height: 115%;"><strong><em><span style="color: #38761d;">The growing list of diseases that threaten both
wildlife conservation and human public health have been the recent focus of
articles, editorials and cartoons, in newspapers from the Post-Dispatch to The
Wall Street Journal and The New York Times. This coverage includes stories on
such familiar diseases as white nose syndrome in bats, West Nile virus, avian
influenza, Lyme disease and chytridiomycosis, a fungal disease causing so many
amphibian deaths that a range of these species are close to extinction.</span></em></strong></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: "Times New Roman","serif"; font-size: 12pt; line-height: 115%;"><strong><em><span style="color: #38761d;">These "emerging infectious diseases" —
scientists call them EIDs — have increased significantly in animal, human and
plant populations in the last two decades, and evidence points to the link
between these diseases and the environmental changes that we — Homo sapiens —
are causing across the globe.</span></em></strong></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: "Times New Roman","serif"; font-size: 12pt; line-height: 115%;"><strong><em><span style="color: #38761d;">Indeed, it is the human-domination of Earth that
inspired the Nobel Prize-winning scientist Paul Crutzen and his colleagues to
rename the geological epoch as the Anthropocene: humans now are the drivers of
changes on Earth. We soon may be saying goodbye to the Holocene, our geological
era of the last 10,000 years! If one considers today's interconnected world, we
know that the global movement of people, animals and products, changing
climates, fragmented and modified landscapes and invasive species all are
responsible for a number of these diseases.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;">
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<span style="font-family: "Times New Roman","serif"; font-size: 12pt; line-height: 115%;"><strong><em><span style="color: #38761d;">A case in point is the presence of white-nose
syndrome in bats. We are witness to what has occurred in the previous 18 states
where the loss of millions of bats already has happened. We can comfortably
predict a similar outcome in Missouri if preventive measures do not succeed.</span></em></strong></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: "Times New Roman","serif"; font-size: 12pt; line-height: 115%;"><strong><em><span style="color: #38761d;">Typically, when these diseases strike, we blame the
animal and often ignore the positive role wildlife plays in protecting us —
bats are a great example of an animal that plays a necessary role in reducing
pests from our ecosystem. A single Missouri gray bat eats up to 300,000 insects
each year. It also plays a critical role in pollinating plants, increasing the
amount of food available to all of us.</span></em></strong></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: "Times New Roman","serif"; font-size: 12pt; line-height: 115%;"><strong><em><span style="color: #38761d;">The loss of the free pest removal service bats
provide is likely to increase the incidence of human infectious diseases
transmitted by mosquitoes and other insect vectors. In fact, we could be hit by
a double-whammy: greater incidence of diseases transmitted by mosquitoes, like
the West Nile virus, and humans could suffer side effects from increased
exposure to pesticides because of the need to use more chemicals to kill the
pests the bats once ate.</span></em></strong></span></div>
<div style="text-align: left;">
</div>
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<span style="font-family: "Times New Roman","serif"; font-size: 12pt; line-height: 115%;"><strong><em><span style="color: #38761d;">Fortunately, the St. Louis Zoo has taken a
leadership role in creating an institute and forging partnerships to conduct
research and analyze the best ways to combat these threats. Through the Zoo's
Institute for Conservation Medicine, we are analyzing the link between the
health of wildlife, humans and ecosystems to better understand and manage the
diseases that threaten the conservation of wildlife species, human public
health and ecosystem function. Only through the institute's holistic approach
involving teams of scientists can we ensure these complex health issues are
addressed appropriately and that our science is translated into action with
preventive solutions.</span></em></strong></span></div>
<div style="text-align: left;">
</div>
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<span style="font-family: "Times New Roman","serif"; font-size: 12pt; line-height: 115%;"><strong><em><span style="color: #38761d;">One thing scientists realize in the battle to curb
the spread of disease is that we should not reach for short-term fixes that in
the long run jeopardize the survival of animals and the health of humans.
Rather, we must focus on prevention as the key to public health, herd health
and agricultural system health. Preventive measures are rooted in a deep
understanding of disease epidemiology. One must understand how a disease
spreads in order to identify factors that can prevent its occurrence.</span></em></strong></span></div>
<div style="text-align: left;">
</div>
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<span style="font-family: "Times New Roman","serif"; font-size: 12pt; line-height: 115%;"><strong><em><span style="color: #38761d;">In the end, however, perhaps the most difficult
change we all must make is to shift our behavior and values. Humans react to
crises. Most people must have a heart attack before admitting that their
drinking, smoking or eating habits truly were detrimental. Human
immunodeficiency virus became a worldwide killer before people took basic
preventive measures.</span></em></strong></span></div>
<div style="text-align: left;">
</div>
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<span style="font-family: "Times New Roman","serif"; font-size: 12pt; line-height: 115%;"><strong><em><span style="color: #38761d;">We can argue that the recent interest in emerging
infectious diseases is, in fact, reactionary — that the world is in a current
EID crisis. We all need to realize that reacting to an infectious disease
pandemic, whether in bats or people, instead of preventing one, is simply bad
medicine.</span></em></strong></span></div>
<div style="text-align: left;">
</div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin: 0in 0in 10pt; text-align: left;">
<span style="font-family: "Times New Roman","serif"; font-size: 12pt; line-height: 115%;">Dr. Sharon Deem is director of the St. Louis Zoo
Institute for Conservation Medicine. She is an epidemiologist and veterinarian.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div style="text-align: left;">
<span style="font-size: small;"><span style="font-family: Times New Roman;">
Adapted from: <span style="font-family: "Calibri","sans-serif"; font-size: 11pt; line-height: 115%; mso-ansi-language: EN-US; mso-ascii-theme-font: minor-latin; mso-bidi-font-family: "Times New Roman"; mso-bidi-language: AR-SA; mso-bidi-theme-font: minor-bidi; mso-fareast-font-family: Calibri; mso-fareast-language: EN-US; mso-fareast-theme-font: minor-latin; mso-hansi-theme-font: minor-latin;"><a href="http://www.stltoday.com/news/opinion/guest-commentary-humans-are-disrupting-the-natural-balance/article_9bec2dd5-609d-5dac-8c54-f836130218e7.html"><span style="font-family: "Times New Roman","serif"; font-size: 12pt; line-height: 115%;"><span style="color: blue;">http://www.stltoday.com/news/opinion/guest-commentary-humans-are-disrupting-the-natural-balance/article_9bec2dd5-609d-5dac-8c54-f836130218e7.html</span></span></a></span><span style="font-family: "Times New Roman","serif"; font-size: 12pt; line-height: 115%; mso-ansi-language: EN-US; mso-bidi-language: AR-SA; mso-fareast-font-family: Calibri; mso-fareast-language: EN-US; mso-fareast-theme-font: minor-latin;"> </span></span></span><br />
<span style="font-size: small;"><span style="font-family: Times New Roman;"><span style="font-family: "Times New Roman","serif"; font-size: 12pt; line-height: 115%; mso-ansi-language: EN-US; mso-bidi-language: AR-SA; mso-fareast-font-family: Calibri; mso-fareast-language: EN-US; mso-fareast-theme-font: minor-latin;"></span></span></span><br />
<span style="font-size: small;"><span style="font-family: Times New Roman;"><span style="font-family: "Times New Roman","serif"; font-size: 12pt; line-height: 115%; mso-ansi-language: EN-US; mso-bidi-language: AR-SA; mso-fareast-font-family: Calibri; mso-fareast-language: EN-US; mso-fareast-theme-font: minor-latin;">
</span></span></span>
<span style="font-size: small;"><span style="font-family: Times New Roman;"></span></span></div>
<span style="font-size: small;"><span style="font-family: Times New Roman;"><div class="MsoNormal" style="margin: 0in 0in 10pt; text-align: center;">
<span style="font-family: "Times New Roman","serif"; font-size: 12pt; line-height: 115%;"><span style="font-size: x-large;"><strong><em><span style="color: #b45f06;">What Is the World’s Most Dangerous Animal?<o:p></o:p></span></em></strong></span></span></div>
<div style="text-align: left;">
</div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin: 0in 0in 10pt; text-align: center;">
<span style="font-family: "Times New Roman","serif"; font-size: 12pt; line-height: 115%;"><span style="font-size: large;"><strong><em><span style="color: #b45f06;">Sharks? Lions? Grizzly bears? Try bats.<o:p></o:p></span></em></strong></span></span></div>
<div style="text-align: left;">
</div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin: 0in 0in 10pt; text-align: left;">
<span style="font-family: "Times New Roman","serif"; font-size: 12pt; line-height: 115%;">By Tara C. Smith</span></div>
<div style="text-align: left;">
</div>
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<span style="font-family: "Times New Roman","serif"; font-size: 12pt; line-height: 115%;"><strong><em><span style="color: #b45f06;">Everybody knows that pestilences have a way of
recurring in the world; yet somehow we find it hard to believe in ones that
crash down on our heads from a blue sky. —Albert Camus, The Plague</span></em></strong></span></div>
<div style="text-align: left;">
</div>
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<span style="font-family: "Times New Roman","serif"; font-size: 12pt; line-height: 115%;"><strong><em><span style="color: #b45f06;">In May, 1997, a 3-year-old boy was admitted to an
ICU in Hong Kong after suffering from influenza for a week. Two days later, the
boy died of pneumonia. His case would have been merely a curiosity if it
weren’t for 17 more patients who came down with the illness months later. In
all, six people died from a strain of influenza that had never been seen in
humans before, dubbed H5N1.</span></em></strong></span></div>
<div style="text-align: left;">
</div>
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<span style="font-family: "Times New Roman","serif"; font-size: 12pt; line-height: 115%;"><strong><em><span style="color: #b45f06;">However, H5N1 wasn’t really “new.” It had caused
outbreaks in Scottish chickens in 1959 and British turkeys in 1991. It had
killed geese in Guangdong, China, in 1996. But these bird outbreaks weren’t
considered important by physicians or researchers on human disease—this was an
avian strain of influenza, and it was thought that humans had little to be
concerned about. That changed abruptly in 1997, when the human cases led to the
destruction of 1.3 million chickens in Hong Kong in an effort to stop the
outbreak. That strategy seemed to work in the short term, but H5N1 has since
surfaced in more than two dozen countries and caused more than 600 human
infections since 1997—almost half of them fatal.</span></em></strong></span></div>
<div style="text-align: left;">
</div>
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<span style="font-family: "Times New Roman","serif"; font-size: 12pt; line-height: 115%;"><strong><em><span style="color: #b45f06;">While scientists were closely following the
movements of H5N1, another influenza virus—H1N1—snuck up on us in 2009 and
spread around the world in a matter of weeks. This was the first influenza
pandemic of the 21st century, and like H5N1, it moved to humans from animals—in
this case, from pigs.</span></em></strong></span></div>
<div style="text-align: left;">
</div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin: 0in 0in 10pt; text-align: left;">
<span style="font-family: "Times New Roman","serif"; font-size: 12pt; line-height: 115%;"><strong><em><span style="color: #b45f06;">When new infectious diseases are discovered, one of
the first questions is “where did this come from?” More often than not, the
answer is one of our animal friends—a kind of disease called a zoonosis.
Studies have shown that about 75 percent of emerging infectious diseases
(diseases that are newly discovered, are increasing in frequency, or have moved
into a new geographic area) are of animal origin, as are 60 percent of all
known pathogens. Even diseases that have spread freely in the human population,
such as tuberculosis, HIV, measles, and smallpox, have their roots in
infections carried by animals.</span></em></strong></span></div>
<div style="text-align: left;">
</div>
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<strong><em><span style="color: #b45f06;"><span style="font-family: "Times New Roman","serif"; font-size: 12pt; line-height: 115%;">Which animals are the most likely to harbor zoonotic
pathogens? </span><span style="font-family: "Times New Roman","serif"; font-size: 12pt; line-height: 115%;">Bats.</span></span></em></strong></div>
<div style="text-align: left;">
</div>
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<span style="font-family: "Times New Roman","serif"; font-size: 12pt; line-height: 115%;"><strong><em><span style="color: #b45f06;">For reasons that are not currently understood, bats
are able to be infected with a huge variety of viruses. They pass these viruses
to other animal species via bites or guano. The classic bat-origin virus is
rabies, but bats have also been implicated as possible reservoir species for
the Ebola and Marburg viruses, Nipah, Hendra, and others. Even influenza has
recently been found in bats. Bats also appear to be the reservoir for the SARS
coronavirus, which surfaced in 2002 in Asia. SARS eventually infected more than
8,000 individuals around the world and killed almost 800 of them between
November 2002 and July 2003, spreading to at least 37 countries. A new
SARS-related virus has recently surfaced in Saudi Arabia, and speculation is
that it’s also from bats.</span></em></strong></span></div>
<div style="text-align: left;">
</div>
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<span style="color: #b45f06; font-family: "Times New Roman","serif"; font-size: 12pt; line-height: 115%;"><u><strong><em>Other Wild Animals</em></strong></u></span></div>
<div style="text-align: left;">
</div>
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<span style="font-family: "Times New Roman","serif"; font-size: 12pt; line-height: 115%;"><strong><em><span style="color: #b45f06;">While bats appear to be responsible for a
disproportionate amount of novel pathogens, every animal species carries its
own unique microbiota—the collection of microbes that live on and in an
animal’s body. Some of those can also spread to humans. As mentioned above,
birds can spread many different types of influenza viruses. In fact, wild
waterfowl serve as the ultimate reservoir for all known types of influenza
viruses. Birds also can transmit a number of encephalitis viruses, such as West
Nile. Because many migrate long distances, birds may be particularly efficient
at introducing pathogens into new areas.</span></em></strong></span></div>
<div style="text-align: left;">
</div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin: 0in 0in 10pt; text-align: left;">
<span style="font-family: "Times New Roman","serif"; font-size: 12pt; line-height: 115%;"><strong><em><span style="color: #b45f06;">Primates also harbor a number of pathogens that have
crossed over into human populations, often an easy jump since we are so closely
related. HIV is the result of multiple species jumps from nonhuman primates
into human populations, likely due to butchering of infected animals. Research
carried out by Nathan Wolfe and others has shown that bushmeat hunters in
Africa are still being infected with viruses from our primate relatives.</span></em></strong></span></div>
<div style="text-align: left;">
</div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin: 0in 0in 10pt; text-align: left;">
<span style="font-family: "Times New Roman","serif"; font-size: 12pt; line-height: 115%;"><strong><em><span style="color: #b45f06;">Rats and mice, of course, have long been associated
with disease. Plague-infected fleas on rats spread Yersinia pestis, the
bacterium responsible for the Black Death. We know today that other species carry the fleas that can
also transmit this pathogen—including much cuter prairie dogs in the
southwestern United States. Mice have recently been implicated in an outbreak
of hantavirus pulmonary syndrome in Yosemite National Park that has killed
three and sickened at least 10 campers. Mice carry this virus without showing
symptoms and spread it to humans via urine and feces.</span></em></strong></span></div>
<div style="text-align: left;">
</div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin: 0in 0in 10pt; text-align: left;">
<span style="color: #b45f06; font-family: "Times New Roman","serif"; font-size: 12pt; line-height: 115%;"><u><strong><em>Livestock and Pets</em></strong></u></span></div>
<div style="text-align: left;">
</div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin: 0in 0in 10pt; text-align: left;">
<span style="font-family: "Times New Roman","serif"; font-size: 12pt; line-height: 115%;"></span><span style="font-family: "Times New Roman","serif"; font-size: 12pt; line-height: 115%;"><strong><em><span style="color: #b45f06;">The domestication of livestock and the taming of
animals for pets certainly marked a turning point in human history. Having
these animals on hand to provide food and milk, as well as companionship and
assistance with hunting, gave humans a more ready food supply and meant less
time had to be spent gathering food. However, it also put us in regular contact
with germs that these animals carried. Human measles virus infections may have
evolved from a similar cattle virus, rinderpest. Cattle can also be a source of
tuberculosis in humans, even today. Industrial livestock production means that
it’s not just a farm family that may be sickened by pathogens from a pig or
cow, but potentially hundreds or thousands who consume meat or other products
from those animals. Foodborne illnesses are estimated to sicken 76 million
people yearly in the United States and kill approximately 5,000. Economic costs
from these food-borne illnesses alone are estimated at approximately $77
billion per year.</span></em></strong></span></div>
<div style="text-align: left;">
</div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin: 0in 0in 10pt; text-align: left;">
<span style="font-family: "Times New Roman","serif"; font-size: 12pt; line-height: 115%;"><strong><em><span style="color: #b45f06;">Finally, our smaller domesticated friends can expose
us to their own pathogens, including the parasite Toxoplasma gondii in cats
(which is particularly dangerous to pregnant women), and they can also bring
along unintended visitors and their pathogens into the home in the form of
fleas and ticks. Even “pocket pets” such as hamsters and guinea pigs can bring
along potentially deadly viruses and infect their owners.</span></em></strong></span></div>
<div style="text-align: left;">
</div>
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<span style="color: #b45f06; font-family: "Times New Roman","serif"; font-size: 12pt; line-height: 115%;"><u><strong><em>So, Why Aren’t We All Dead?</em></strong></u></span></div>
<div style="text-align: left;">
</div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin: 0in 0in 10pt; text-align: left;">
<span style="font-family: "Times New Roman","serif"; font-size: 12pt; line-height: 115%;"><strong><em><span style="color: #b45f06;">With so many potentially deadly organisms lurking in
the animal species we share the Earth with, the question becomes not if we’ll
have another novel pandemic, but when. However, these events—the new
influenzas, the SARS coronaviruses, the HIV outbreaks—are actually relatively
rare. “Spillover” events—an individual becoming infected with a zoonotic pathogen—are
common, but typically the infected host is a dead end. He or she doesn’t spread
the germ to a second person, which is a necessary factor for an epidemic (which
is a localized outbreak) or a pandemic (a worldwide infection) to occur. Going
back to H5N1 influenza versus H1N1, that’s why the former has caused only
sporadic outbreaks and the latter has become pandemic. H1N1 is readily
transmissible between people, and H5N1 (so far) is not. This is also why there
was so much concern earlier this year when a genetically-modified H5N1 was
created in a laboratory setting. This modified virus was able to spread readily
between ferrets, a common animal model for human influenza research. The work
caused worry that such a virus may escape from a lab and spread in the wild—The
Stand come to life.</span></em></strong></span></div>
<div style="text-align: left;">
</div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin: 0in 0in 10pt; text-align: left;">
<span style="font-family: "Times New Roman","serif"; font-size: 12pt; line-height: 115%;"><strong><em><span style="color: #b45f06;">This controversy also highlights the difficulty in
studying potential zoonotic pathogens. Many of these organisms have adapted to
their hosts and do not always cause symptoms in their “natural” species. As
such, it’s difficult to anticipate which microbes will 1) make the species jump
successfully; 2) cause illness in the new host species (for example, in
humans); and 3) transmit efficiently among members of the new host species.
Prediction right now is very foggy, though we’re beginning to better understand
the diversity of organisms out there, and with that, hopefully gain
understanding into why some spill over and others do not.<o:p></o:p></span></em></strong></span></div>
<div style="text-align: left;">
<strong><em><span style="color: #b45f06;">
<span style="font-family: "Times New Roman","serif"; font-size: 12pt; line-height: 115%; mso-ansi-language: EN-US; mso-bidi-language: AR-SA; mso-fareast-font-family: Calibri; mso-fareast-language: EN-US; mso-fareast-theme-font: minor-latin;">One final note—while
we often consider humans the victims of such pandemic events, that’s not always
the case. Zoonoses are a two-way street, and humans can also spread our own
native microbes to other species. Recent studies have shown that humans have
spread antibiotic-resistant strains of Staphylococcus aureus to many different
species, including domestic chickens, pigs, and even chimpanzees and dolphins.
We, too, are a walking biohazard.</span></span></em></strong><br />
<strong><em><span style="color: #b45f06;"><span style="font-family: "Times New Roman","serif"; font-size: 12pt; line-height: 115%; mso-ansi-language: EN-US; mso-bidi-language: AR-SA; mso-fareast-font-family: Calibri; mso-fareast-language: EN-US; mso-fareast-theme-font: minor-latin;"></span></span></em></strong><br />
<span style="color: #b45f06;"><span style="font-family: "Times New Roman","serif"; font-size: 12pt; line-height: 115%; mso-ansi-language: EN-US; mso-bidi-language: AR-SA; mso-fareast-font-family: Calibri; mso-fareast-language: EN-US; mso-fareast-theme-font: minor-latin;"><span style="color: black;">Adapted from:</span> <span style="color: black;">
</span></span></span>
<span style="color: #b45f06;"></span></div>
<span style="color: #b45f06;"><div class="MsoNormal" style="margin: 0in 0in 10pt; text-align: left;">
<a href="http://www.slate.com/articles/health_and_science/pandemics/2012/12/origins_of_new_diseases_zoonotic_pandemics_come_from_bats_birds_monkeys.html"><span style="font-family: "Times New Roman","serif"; font-size: 12pt; line-height: 115%;"><span style="color: blue;">http://www.slate.com/articles/health_and_science/pandemics/2012/12/origins_of_new_diseases_zoonotic_pandemics_come_from_bats_birds_monkeys.html</span></span></a><span class="MsoHyperlink"><span style="font-family: "Times New Roman","serif"; font-size: 12pt; line-height: 115%;"><o:p></o:p></span></span></div>
<div style="text-align: left;">
<span style="color: black;">
</span>
<span style="color: black;"></span></div>
<span style="color: black;"><div class="MsoNormal" style="margin: 0in 0in 10pt; text-align: center;">
<span style="font-family: "Times New Roman","serif"; font-size: 12pt; line-height: 115%;"><strong><span style="font-size: x-large;"><em><span style="color: #741b47;"></span></em></span></strong></span><br />
<span style="font-family: "Times New Roman","serif"; font-size: 12pt; line-height: 115%;"><strong><span style="font-size: x-large;"><em><span style="color: #741b47;">Call for global monitoring of infectious diseases </span></em></span></strong></span></div>
<div style="text-align: left;">
</div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin: 0in 0in 10pt; text-align: center;">
<span style="font-family: "Times New Roman","serif"; font-size: 12pt; line-height: 115%;"><strong><span style="font-size: x-large;"><em><span style="color: #741b47;">in
dogs and cats<o:p></o:p></span></em></span></strong></span></div>
<div style="text-align: left;">
</div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin: 0in 0in 10pt; text-align: left;">
<span style="font-family: "Times New Roman","serif"; font-size: 12pt; line-height: 115%;"><strong><em><span style="color: #741b47;">Most emerging infectious diseases of humans come
from animals. International health agencies monitor these diseases, but they do
so only for humans and livestock, not for companion dogs and cats. A new study
recommends a global system is needed to monitor infectious diseases of
companion dogs and cats. </span></em></strong></span></div>
<div style="text-align: left;">
</div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin: 0in 0in 10pt; text-align: left;">
<span style="font-family: "Times New Roman","serif"; font-size: 12pt; line-height: 115%;"><strong><em><span style="color: #741b47;">The study, led by Michael Day, Professor of
Veterinary Pathology in the School of Veterinary Sciences at the University of
Bristol and published online in Emerging Infectious Diseases, lists key
infectious diseases that may be transmitted between dogs and cats and man
('zoonotic diseases'). It is well recognised that most of the major new
diseases of mankind will have an animal origin and dogs and cats are a
potential source of such 'emerging diseases'. </span></em></strong></span></div>
<div style="text-align: left;">
</div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin: 0in 0in 10pt; text-align: left;">
<span style="font-family: "Times New Roman","serif"; font-size: 12pt; line-height: 115%;"><strong><em><span style="color: #741b47;">The World Small Animal Veterinary Association
(WSAVA) One Health Committee, which promotes the closer integration of human
and animal healthcare ('One Health') in collaboration with the US Centers for
Disease Control and Prevention (CDC), the World Organisation for Animal Health
(OIE) and the World Health Organization (WHO), recommends in the paper a
co-ordinated global disease monitoring system is established for veterinarians
who work in small companion animal practice. </span></em></strong></span></div>
<div style="text-align: left;">
</div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin: 0in 0in 10pt; text-align: left;">
<span style="font-family: "Times New Roman","serif"; font-size: 12pt; line-height: 115%;"><strong><em><span style="color: #741b47;">However, development of such a scheme would require
significant political will, scientific application and financial support that
could be achieved through a public-private partnership. The knowledge gained
through surveillance would permit more effective global control of small
companion animal zoonoses and so reduce the risks inherent within this most
fundamental of human relationships. </span></em></strong></span></div>
<div style="text-align: left;">
</div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin: 0in 0in 10pt; text-align: left;">
<span style="font-family: "Times New Roman","serif"; font-size: 12pt; line-height: 115%;"><strong><em><span style="color: #741b47;">Canine rabies virus infection, one of the diseases
listed in the paper, is estimated to kill a minimum of 55,000 people in Africa
and Asia each year. </span></em></strong></span></div>
<div style="text-align: left;">
</div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin: 0in 0in 10pt; text-align: left;">
<span style="font-family: "Times New Roman","serif"; font-size: 12pt; line-height: 115%;"><strong><em><span style="color: #741b47;">Michael Day, Professor of Veterinary Pathology in
the School of Veterinary Sciences, said: "The number of small companion
animals is significant. For example there are an estimated eight to ten million
dogs living in up to 31 per cent of UK homes and in the USA, 72 million dogs in
37 per cent of homes. </span></em></strong></span></div>
<div style="text-align: left;">
</div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin: 0in 0in 10pt; text-align: left;">
<span style="font-family: "Times New Roman","serif"; font-size: 12pt; line-height: 115%;"><strong><em><span style="color: #741b47;">"In developed countries the relationship
between man and dogs and cats has deepened, with these animals now closely
sharing the human indoor environment. The benefits of pet ownership on human
health, well-being and development are unquestionable, but as dogs and cats
have moved from the barn, to the house, to the bedroom, the potential for
disease spread to humans increases. Control of diseases among dogs and cats is
a good way to prevent spread to humans." </span></em></strong></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: "Times New Roman","serif"; font-size: 12pt; line-height: 115%;"><strong><em><span style="color: #741b47;">Small companion animals, most typically dogs and
cats, are kept by people for companionship or a range of utilitarian purposes.
Dogs and cats have a close relationship with their human owners and play an
important role in the cultures of both developed and developing communities. The
social and societal benefits of pet ownership are significant, with dogs now
participating in programmes in institutions such as schools, prisons and
hospitals, in addition to their role in family life. </span></em></strong></span></div>
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<span style="color: #741b47;"><span style="font-family: "Times New Roman","serif"; font-size: 12pt; line-height: 115%; mso-ansi-language: EN-US; mso-bidi-language: AR-SA; mso-fareast-font-family: Calibri; mso-fareast-language: EN-US; mso-fareast-theme-font: minor-latin;"><strong><em>In human, livestock
and wildlife heath there are programmes of active surveillance for infectious
disease, which monitor the global distribution and movement of key infectious
agents. For example, the WHO monitors human influenza virus infection through a
network of 111 centres in 83 countries. In contrast, there is no such
monitoring for the infections that may be transmitted between small companion
animals and man.</em></strong></span></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: "Times New Roman","serif"; font-size: 12pt; line-height: 115%; mso-ansi-language: EN-US; mso-bidi-language: AR-SA; mso-fareast-font-family: Calibri; mso-fareast-language: EN-US; mso-fareast-theme-font: minor-latin;"><span style="color: black;">Adapted from: <span style="font-family: "Times New Roman","serif"; font-size: 12pt; line-height: 115%; mso-ansi-language: EN-US; mso-bidi-language: AR-SA; mso-fareast-font-family: Calibri; mso-fareast-language: EN-US; mso-fareast-theme-font: minor-latin;"><a href="http://phys.org/news/2012-11-global-infectious-diseases-dogs-cats.html"><span style="color: blue;">http://phys.org/news/2012-11-global-infectious-diseases-dogs-cats.html</span></a></span></span></span><br />
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<span style="color: black;">As always, please send any questions and/or comments to Helpful Buckeye at: <a href="mailto:dogcatvethelp@gmail.com">dogcatvethelp@gmail.com</a> </span></div>
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<span style="font-family: "Times New Roman","serif"; line-height: 115%; mso-ansi-language: EN-US; mso-bidi-language: AR-SA; mso-fareast-font-family: Calibri; mso-fareast-language: EN-US; mso-fareast-theme-font: minor-latin;"><span style="color: black; font-size: x-large;"><span style="font-family: "Times New Roman","serif"; line-height: 115%; mso-ansi-language: EN-US; mso-bidi-language: AR-SA; mso-fareast-font-family: Calibri; mso-fareast-language: EN-US; mso-fareast-theme-font: minor-latin;"><strong>SPORTS NEWS</strong></span></span></span></div>
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhhD6tiGhipLwYweoV6P5vk3QxgEw-Uh6xseUIN-fY3DXAZsXY_QlRihYx4P3KIx63hnI8KH-BKOfushyMDC1dk_VJbTQhDCK5aLLyRfJfTlfIKzqN24EDZeRJkCje1fk4ubW30uya9LTc/s1600/sports+balls.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhhD6tiGhipLwYweoV6P5vk3QxgEw-Uh6xseUIN-fY3DXAZsXY_QlRihYx4P3KIx63hnI8KH-BKOfushyMDC1dk_VJbTQhDCK5aLLyRfJfTlfIKzqN24EDZeRJkCje1fk4ubW30uya9LTc/s1600/sports+balls.jpg" /></a><span style="font-family: "Times New Roman","serif"; line-height: 115%; mso-ansi-language: EN-US; mso-bidi-language: AR-SA; mso-fareast-font-family: Calibri; mso-fareast-language: EN-US; mso-fareast-theme-font: minor-latin;"><span style="color: black; font-size: small;"><span style="font-family: "Times New Roman","serif"; line-height: 115%; mso-ansi-language: EN-US; mso-bidi-language: AR-SA; mso-fareast-font-family: Calibri; mso-fareast-language: EN-US; mso-fareast-theme-font: minor-latin;">The <strong><span style="background-color: #cccccc; color: #990000;">Ohio State Buckeyes</span></strong> basketball team has been rounding into good shape for the beginning of the conference schedule, having only lost at Duke. We're probably not the best team in the country right now but we are solidly in the top 10.</span></span></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: "Times New Roman","serif"; line-height: 115%; mso-ansi-language: EN-US; mso-bidi-language: AR-SA; mso-fareast-font-family: Calibri; mso-fareast-language: EN-US; mso-fareast-theme-font: minor-latin;"><span style="color: black; font-size: small;"><span style="font-family: "Times New Roman","serif"; line-height: 115%; mso-ansi-language: EN-US; mso-bidi-language: AR-SA; mso-fareast-font-family: Calibri; mso-fareast-language: EN-US; mso-fareast-theme-font: minor-latin;">The <strong><span style="background-color: #f1c232;">Pittsburgh Steelers</span></strong> lost everything they gained last week by losing badly to the Chargers in Pittsburgh. Following the really important win last week in Baltimore, this loss might have been a season killer....</span></span></span><br />
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<span style="font-family: "Times New Roman","serif"; line-height: 115%; mso-ansi-language: EN-US; mso-bidi-language: AR-SA; mso-fareast-font-family: Calibri; mso-fareast-language: EN-US; mso-fareast-theme-font: minor-latin;"><span style="color: black; font-size: x-large;"><span style="font-family: "Times New Roman","serif"; line-height: 115%; mso-ansi-language: EN-US; mso-bidi-language: AR-SA; mso-fareast-font-family: Calibri; mso-fareast-language: EN-US; mso-fareast-theme-font: minor-latin;"><strong>PERSONAL STUFF</strong></span></span></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: "Times New Roman","serif"; line-height: 115%; mso-ansi-language: EN-US; mso-bidi-language: AR-SA; mso-fareast-font-family: Calibri; mso-fareast-language: EN-US; mso-fareast-theme-font: minor-latin;"><span style="color: black; font-size: small;"><span style="font-family: "Times New Roman","serif"; line-height: 115%; mso-ansi-language: EN-US; mso-bidi-language: AR-SA; mso-fareast-font-family: Calibri; mso-fareast-language: EN-US; mso-fareast-theme-font: minor-latin;">Helpful Buckeye has been pretty successful with Christmas Cactuses over the years. I currently have 4 different varieties going, with each one blooming at a slightly different time of the winter. The first 2 have come and gone for this season, while the third one is in beautiful fullness right now. The fourth one (also the oldest one) is on target for a Christmas week display.</span></span></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: "Times New Roman","serif"; line-height: 115%; mso-ansi-language: EN-US; mso-bidi-language: AR-SA; mso-fareast-font-family: Calibri; mso-fareast-language: EN-US; mso-fareast-theme-font: minor-latin;"><span style="color: black; font-size: small;"><span style="font-family: "Times New Roman","serif"; line-height: 115%; mso-ansi-language: EN-US; mso-bidi-language: AR-SA; mso-fareast-font-family: Calibri; mso-fareast-language: EN-US; mso-fareast-theme-font: minor-latin;">Desperado and Helpful Buckeye have already entertained more guests this holiday season than in recent memory, probably due to Desperado being more pain-free than in the past few years. And, there are still a couple of weeks to go before the big holiday week...plus more guests. We're really thankful that she has been doing so well!</span></span></span></div>
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<span style="color: black;">Let's finish this issue with another classic from Dave Brubeck, <strong><em>Kathy's Waltz</em></strong>: </span></div>
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<span style="color: black;"><a href="http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=X9qgI95n6rM">http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=X9qgI95n6rM</a></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: "Times New Roman","serif"; line-height: 115%; mso-ansi-language: EN-US; mso-bidi-language: AR-SA; mso-fareast-font-family: Calibri; mso-fareast-language: EN-US; mso-fareast-theme-font: minor-latin;"><span style="color: black; font-size: small;"><span style="font-family: "Times New Roman","serif"; line-height: 115%; mso-ansi-language: EN-US; mso-bidi-language: AR-SA; mso-fareast-font-family: Calibri; mso-fareast-language: EN-US; mso-fareast-theme-font: minor-latin;"><span style="color: black; font-size: 12pt; mso-ansi-language: EN-US; mso-bidi-language: AR-SA; mso-fareast-font-family: "Times New Roman"; mso-fareast-language: EN-US;"><em>~~The goal of this blog is to provide general information and advice to help you be a better pet owner and to have a more rewarding relationship with your pet. This blog does not intend to replace the professional one-on-one care your pet receives from a practicing veterinarian. When in doubt about your pet's health, always visit a veterinarian.~~</em></span></span></span></span></div>
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Helpful Buckeyehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/18134633849820948837noreply@blogger.com3tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-16663019142577616.post-17295289311005161122012-12-03T00:00:00.000-07:002012-12-03T00:00:05.189-07:00PETS, THE FLU, AND YOU<br />
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgVpfflBSr4BMwF2C9U1Ci4rniBlEb9-pyAEoGvEgSgwTD77DvpOK8S3rwL5VLyQxQOiVQW7XSyr_pOwMqJjsFaSG0cdWs1O-_BV7wfhEYQQLlbTLHRHqZQ8M5cyETOpxLjAYLtEhgviJc/s1600/Cat+Fever.gif" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgVpfflBSr4BMwF2C9U1Ci4rniBlEb9-pyAEoGvEgSgwTD77DvpOK8S3rwL5VLyQxQOiVQW7XSyr_pOwMqJjsFaSG0cdWs1O-_BV7wfhEYQQLlbTLHRHqZQ8M5cyETOpxLjAYLtEhgviJc/s1600/Cat+Fever.gif" /></a></div>
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<span style="color: black;"><strong>Influenza</strong>, commonly known as the <b>flu</b>, is an infectious disease of birds and mammals</span><span style="color: black;"> caused by a virus </span><span style="color: black;">of the family Orthomyxoviridae</span><span style="color: black;">, the influenza viruses</span><span style="color: black;">. The most common symptoms in humans are chills, fever, sore throat, muscle pains, headache (often severe), coughing, weakness/fatigue, and general discomfort</span>...from: <a href="http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Influenza">http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Influenza</a><br />
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Now that we have moved into the month of December, the seasonal surge of human influenza has begun and it will remain to be seen if this is a typical year in which "only" 250,000-500,000 people die around the world from this disease. Or, if it is a pandemic year, the deaths could go into the millions. <br />
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Only in the last 10 years has a canine influenza virus been recognized as a cause of potentially serious disease in dogs. This virus is not identical to the one that causes human influenza but it does bear a lot of similarities. One of the main differences is that the canine virus can cause this disease year round rather than the seasonal occurrence that is seen with the human virus. Without all of us becoming virologists, it's important to understand the significance of influenza viruses, how they might affect our pets, and whether or not we need to be concerned about an influenza virus moving from us to our pets or vice versa.<br />
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<span style="font-family: "Times New Roman","serif"; font-size: 12pt; line-height: 115%;"><strong><span style="color: #990000; font-size: x-large;"><em>Dog Flu Reported in San Diego County</em></span></strong> </span></div>
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<span style="font-family: "Times New Roman","serif"; font-size: 12pt; line-height: 115%;"><strong><em><span style="color: #990000;">Canine influenza was first reported in Florida in
2004 and has spread across the United States<o:p></o:p></span></em></strong></span></div>
<span style="font-family: "Times New Roman","serif"; font-size: 12pt; line-height: 115%;"><strong><em><span style="color: #990000;">A dog has tested positive for canine influenza in
what’s believed to be the first documented case in San Diego County. </span></em></strong></span><span style="font-family: "Times New Roman","serif"; font-size: 12pt; line-height: 115%;"><strong><em><span style="color: #990000;">Dawn Danielson, director of the San Diego County
Department of Animal Services, confirmed the positive test result Friday from a
dog at the county’s shelter in Bonita. </span></em></strong></span><br />
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<span style="font-family: "Times New Roman","serif"; font-size: 12pt; line-height: 115%;"><strong><em><span style="color: #990000;">While this isn’t the first case in California, it is
the first reported case in the county according to the department. </span></em></strong></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: "Times New Roman","serif"; font-size: 12pt; line-height: 115%;"><strong><em><span style="color: #990000;">Dogs that are infected will show symptoms including
a cough, runny nose and fever. Experts at the Centers for Disease Control and
Prevention say a small proportion of dogs can develop severe disease. </span></em></strong></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: "Times New Roman","serif"; font-size: 12pt; line-height: 115%;"><strong><em><span style="color: #990000;">The virus does not spread to humans; however, it can
spread from dog to dog through a human’s touch. </span></em></strong></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: "Times New Roman","serif"; font-size: 12pt; line-height: 115%;"><strong><em><span style="color: #990000;">If a dog has a cough, the American Veterinary
Medical Association recommends that you schedule an appointment with your
veterinarian so that he or she can examine and evaluate your dog and recommend
an appropriate course of treatment. <o:p></o:p></span></em></strong></span></div>
<strong><em><span style="color: #990000;">
<span style="font-family: "Times New Roman","serif"; font-size: 12pt; line-height: 115%; mso-ansi-language: EN-US; mso-bidi-language: AR-SA; mso-fareast-font-family: Calibri; mso-fareast-language: EN-US; mso-fareast-theme-font: minor-latin;">Pet owners can also
request a vaccine to protect their dogs from this influenza.</span></span></em></strong><br />
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Adapted from: <span style="font-family: "Calibri","sans-serif"; font-size: 11pt; line-height: 115%; mso-ansi-language: EN-US; mso-ascii-theme-font: minor-latin; mso-bidi-font-family: "Times New Roman"; mso-bidi-language: AR-SA; mso-bidi-theme-font: minor-bidi; mso-fareast-font-family: Calibri; mso-fareast-language: EN-US; mso-fareast-theme-font: minor-latin; mso-hansi-theme-font: minor-latin;"><a href="http://www.nbcsandiego.com/news/local/Dog-Flu-Reported-in-San-Diego-County-162420646.html"><span style="font-family: "Times New Roman","serif"; font-size: 12pt; line-height: 115%;"><span style="color: blue;">http://www.nbcsandiego.com/news/local/Dog-Flu-Reported-in-San-Diego-County-162420646.html</span></span></a></span><br />
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<span style="font-family: "Times New Roman","serif"; font-size: 12pt; line-height: 115%;"><strong><span style="font-size: x-large;"><em><span style="color: #38761d;">Vaccinate dogs for influenza virus<o:p></o:p></span></em></span></strong></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: "Times New Roman","serif"; font-size: 12pt; line-height: 115%;">John DeVries, DVM, Diplomate ABVP (American Board of Veterinary Pathology)</span></div>
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<span style="font-family: "Times New Roman","serif"; font-size: 12pt; line-height: 115%;"><strong><em><span style="color: #38761d;">Q. I heard about the canine influenza occurring in
Bergen County (NJ) recently. How concerned about my dog’s exposure do I need to
be?</span></em></strong></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: "Times New Roman","serif"; font-size: 12pt; line-height: 115%;"><strong><em><span style="color: #38761d;">A. While there is no reason to overreact to this
disease, prevention by vaccination is the most prudent way to protect your dog
from the canine influenza virus (CIV).</span></em></strong></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: "Times New Roman","serif"; font-size: 12pt; line-height: 115%;"><strong><em><span style="color: #38761d;">What you should know about canine influenza: Canine
flu (CIV) is a virus in dogs which causes an acute respiratory infection. It
has been identified in shelters, humane societies, boarding facilities and
veterinary clinics across the country. This highly contagious virus is a
recognized respiratory pathogen in dogs and causes a clinical syndrome that
mimics "kennel cough."</span></em></strong></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: "Times New Roman","serif"; font-size: 12pt; line-height: 115%;"><strong><em><span style="color: #38761d;">Because New Jersey is one of the many states in
which outbreaks of the CIV have occurred, more and more kennels, groomers and
veterinary hospitals are requiring vaccination against CIV in any pets that are
admitted to their facilities. About 80 percent of dogs infected will show
clinical signs which include fever, malaise and prolonged cough. Of those
showing clinical signs, some will develop a severe form of the disease which
often involves a secondary pneumonia manifested by a thick yellow-green nasal
discharge and high fever. These cases frequently require extended and expensive
hospitalization stays in strict isolation with intravenous fluid, antibiotic,
and respiratory therapy. In spite of the best treatment regimens it is
estimated that 3 to 8 percent may die of the disease and its complications.</span></em></strong></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: "Times New Roman","serif"; font-size: 12pt; line-height: 115%;"><strong><em><span style="color: #38761d;">Exposure: Because the virus is carried in
respiratory secretions, dogs are potentially exposed to the virus in any place
where dogs are in close contact. The disease may also be spread by contact with
contaminated items such as dog toys, blankets, clothes, and even hands. If your
dog falls into one of these exposure categories, vaccination is highly
recommended.</span></em></strong></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: "Times New Roman","serif"; font-size: 12pt; line-height: 115%;"><strong><em><span style="color: #38761d;">Presentation: Canine flu presents itself in two
forms – a mild self-limiting form and a severe pneumonic form. Dogs with the
mild form have a cough that will last for two to four weeks often accompanied
by a mucoid nasal discharge. The severe form quickly turns into pneumonia with
a high fever, lethargy and lack of appetite.</span></em></strong></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: "Times New Roman","serif"; font-size: 12pt; line-height: 115%;"><strong><em><span style="color: #38761d;">The incubation period is two to five days, after
which clinical signs appear. Infected dogs may shed virus for seven to 10 days.
Nearly 20 percent of infected dogs will not display clinical signs and become
silent shedders and spreaders of the infection.</span></em></strong></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: "Times New Roman","serif"; font-size: 12pt; line-height: 115%;"><strong><em><span style="color: #38761d;">Testing: If your dog shows signs of coughing and/or
nasal discharge you should contact your veterinarian, who can perform a blood
test to rule out canine influenza. </span></em></strong></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: "Times New Roman","serif"; font-size: 12pt; line-height: 115%;"><strong><em><span style="color: #38761d;">Vaccine: A safe and effective vaccine is available
from Intervet Schering-Plough Animal Health.</span></em></strong></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: "Times New Roman","serif"; font-size: 12pt; line-height: 115%;"><strong><em><span style="color: #38761d;">The vaccine has been shown to have virtually no side
effects and is highly effective in either preventing infection or lessening the
clinical signs and duration of infection and virus shedding.</span></em></strong></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: "Times New Roman","serif"; font-size: 12pt; line-height: 115%;"><span style="color: black;">Adapted from: <span style="font-family: "Calibri","sans-serif"; font-size: 11pt; line-height: 115%; mso-ansi-language: EN-US; mso-ascii-theme-font: minor-latin; mso-bidi-font-family: "Times New Roman"; mso-bidi-language: AR-SA; mso-bidi-theme-font: minor-bidi; mso-fareast-font-family: Calibri; mso-fareast-language: EN-US; mso-fareast-theme-font: minor-latin; mso-hansi-theme-font: minor-latin;"><a href="http://www.northjersey.com/community/pets/134523003_Vaccinate_dogs_for_influenza_virus.html"><span style="font-family: "Times New Roman","serif"; font-size: 12pt; line-height: 115%;"><span style="color: blue;">http://www.northjersey.com/community/pets/134523003_Vaccinate_dogs_for_influenza_virus.html</span></span></a></span></span></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: "Times New Roman","serif"; font-size: 12pt; line-height: 115%;"><strong><span style="font-size: x-large;"><em><span style="color: #741b47;">Can Dogs Get the Flu?</span></em></span></strong></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: "Times New Roman","serif"; font-size: 12pt; line-height: 115%;"><strong><em><span style="color: #741b47;">Can dogs get the flu? This time of year is rough on
people, with cold and flu viruses running rampant, but our canine friends can
get sick, too. Because they cannot tell us their flu symptoms, it is important
for us, as owners, to pay attention and know how to help them. </span></em></strong></span><br />
<strong><em><span style="color: #741b47;"></span></em></strong><br />
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<span style="font-family: "Times New Roman","serif"; font-size: 12pt; line-height: 115%;"><strong><em><span style="color: #741b47;">Canine influenza, or dog flu, is caused by a
specific virus called H3N8. It used to be a horse disease, but it started
showing up in dogs around 2004. Now that the virus has adapted into an illness
that affects dogs, it is spread very easily. Flu symptoms in dogs include:</span></em></strong></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: "Times New Roman","serif"; font-size: 12pt; line-height: 115%;"><strong><em><span style="color: #741b47;"><span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>•Cough</span></em></strong></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: "Times New Roman","serif"; font-size: 12pt; line-height: 115%;"><strong><em><span style="color: #741b47;"><span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>•Runny Nose</span></em></strong></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: "Times New Roman","serif"; font-size: 12pt; line-height: 115%;"><strong><em><span style="color: #741b47;"><span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>•Fever</span></em></strong></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: "Times New Roman","serif"; font-size: 12pt; line-height: 115%;"><strong><em><span style="color: #741b47;"><span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>•Lack of
Energy</span></em></strong></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: "Times New Roman","serif"; font-size: 12pt; line-height: 115%;"><strong><em><span style="color: #741b47;"><span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>•Loss of
Appetite </span></em></strong></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: "Times New Roman","serif"; font-size: 12pt; line-height: 115%;"><strong><em><span style="color: #741b47;">Fortunately, dogs rarely die from this illness.
About 80 percent of dogs will contract at least a mild form of this sickness,
because it is highly contagious and easily spread by respiratory secretions. If
your dog is exhibiting flu symptoms, do not allow him to interact with other
dogs, because the disease travels in airborne secretions, as well as contact
with contaminated objects or people who have had contact with an infected dog.
About 20 percent of dogs with flu symptoms can develop a more serious illness,
like pneumonia. </span></em></strong></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: "Times New Roman","serif"; font-size: 12pt; line-height: 115%;"><strong><em><span style="color: #741b47;">People cannot catch canine influenza. However, flu
strains mutate constantly, so it is a good practice to wash your hands and
change your clothes if you have been exposed to a sick dog. In fact, it is a
good idea to wash your hands after interacting with any dog, especially since
some dogs with no flu symptoms can actually have the flu, and therefore
transmit it to other dogs via human contact. </span></em></strong></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: "Times New Roman","serif"; font-size: 12pt; line-height: 115%;"><strong><em><span style="color: #741b47;">Your vet can test to confirm that your dog has the
flu, using respiratory secretions or blood samples. Treatment typically
includes medication to make your dog more comfortable and fluids to keep him or
her hydrated. The vet may also prescribe broad-spectrum antibiotics, especially
if a bacterial infection is suspected as well. <o:p></o:p></span></em></strong></span></div>
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<span style="font-size: small;"><span style="font-family: Times New Roman;"><strong><em><span style="color: #741b47;">
<span style="font-family: "Times New Roman","serif"; font-size: 12pt; line-height: 115%; mso-ansi-language: EN-US; mso-bidi-language: AR-SA; mso-fareast-font-family: Calibri; mso-fareast-language: EN-US; mso-fareast-theme-font: minor-latin;">All dogs are at risk
for the flu, but some have an increased risk. Your dog may be at high risk if
he enters dog shows, boards at a kennel or attends doggie daycare, attends a
dog training class, visits a dog groomer, plays at a dog park, or encounters
other dogs on a regular basis. The best protection for your dog is the canine
influenza vaccine. The vaccine not only protects against the flu, but also
helps the dog get over flu symptoms sooner, if he is already infected.</span></span></em></strong></span></span></div>
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<span style="font-size: small;"><span style="font-family: Times New Roman;"><strong><em><span style="color: #741b47;"><span style="font-family: "Times New Roman","serif"; font-size: 12pt; line-height: 115%; mso-ansi-language: EN-US; mso-bidi-language: AR-SA; mso-fareast-font-family: Calibri; mso-fareast-language: EN-US; mso-fareast-theme-font: minor-latin;">...check with your veterinarian to see if the vaccination is a good idea for your pet's situation.</span></span></em></strong></span></span><span style="font-size: small;"><span style="color: black; font-family: Times New Roman;"><span style="font-family: "Times New Roman","serif"; font-size: 12pt; line-height: 115%; mso-ansi-language: EN-US; mso-bidi-language: AR-SA; mso-fareast-font-family: Calibri; mso-fareast-language: EN-US; mso-fareast-theme-font: minor-latin;"></span></span></span></div>
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Adapted from: <span style="font-family: "Times New Roman","serif"; font-size: 12pt; line-height: 115%; mso-ansi-language: EN-US; mso-bidi-language: AR-SA; mso-fareast-font-family: Calibri; mso-fareast-language: EN-US; mso-fareast-theme-font: minor-latin;"><a href="http://www.fcer.com/myer/2012/03/02/can-dogs-get-the-flu/"><span style="color: blue;">http://www.fcer.com/myer/2012/03/02/can-dogs-get-the-flu/</span></a></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: "Times New Roman","serif"; font-size: 12pt; line-height: 115%;"><strong><span style="font-size: x-large;"><em><span style="color: #0b5394;">Can You Give the Flu To Your Dog or Cat?</span></em></span></strong></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: "Times New Roman","serif"; font-size: 12pt; line-height: 115%;"><strong><em><span style="color: #0b5394;">As autumn arrives, the approach of flu season is a real concern. Last year, thousands of people suffered from symptoms including a high fever, chills and fatigue—classic signs of the flu. Some 2,374 people in the United States were hospitalized for influenza during the last flu season—an incentive for many of us to get an annual flu vaccine, to avoid both getting sick and potentially passing on the flu to family members.</span></em></strong></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: "Times New Roman","serif"; font-size: 12pt; line-height: 115%;"><strong><em><span style="color: #0b5394;">A group of veterinarians at Oregon State and Iowa State Universities is now looking into the risk of flu for an unexpected population that doesn’t have access to human flu shots: dogs, cats and other household pets. “We worry a lot about zoonoses, the transmission of diseases from animals to people,” said Christiane Loehr, a professor at the OSU College of Veterinary Medicine. “But most people don’t realize that humans can also pass diseases to animals, and this raises questions and concerns about mutations, new viral forms and evolving diseases that may potentially be zoonotic. And, of course, there is concern about the health of the animals.” </span></em></strong></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: "Times New Roman","serif"; font-size: 12pt; line-height: 115%;"><strong><em><span style="color: #0b5394;">We’re pretty well acquainted with zoonoses—diseases that can move from animals to humans—because of the high profile transmissions of the influenza strains H1N1 (“swine flu“) and H5N1 (“bird flu”) from animals in recent years. But, as it turns out, many diseases can also act as so-called reverse zoonoses, or anthroponoses, contagiously jumping from humans to other animals. This appears to be the case for H1N1: The researchers have discovered 13 cases in which H1N1 seems to have been passed from humans to pet cats, some of which ultimately died from the disease.</span></em></strong></span><br />
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhBxMOgHDfKDuJ8VZroa0Nmal6uT5WNmPoI1NqHjeH4OpJnqb3pd-Bebop8__CzAQdR2mZ3jMZN8UOMx00ktE6W6jtG1oLIWaTBp-bS3pHnx0WxvXcaud09IuprS6LFpVlJCahyXJ9lWfg/s1600/H1N1+and+Pets.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="142" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhBxMOgHDfKDuJ8VZroa0Nmal6uT5WNmPoI1NqHjeH4OpJnqb3pd-Bebop8__CzAQdR2mZ3jMZN8UOMx00ktE6W6jtG1oLIWaTBp-bS3pHnx0WxvXcaud09IuprS6LFpVlJCahyXJ9lWfg/s320/H1N1+and+Pets.jpg" width="320" /></a></div>
<span style="font-family: "Times New Roman","serif"; font-size: 12pt; line-height: 115%;"><strong><em><span style="color: #0b5394;">The first recorded instance, described in an article published by the team in <u>Veterinary Pathology</u>, took place in Oregon in 2009. While a cat owner was hospitalized with H1N1, both of her cats (which stayed indoors and had no contact with other sick people or animals) came down with flu-like symptoms and eventually died. A postmortem analysis of their lungs and nasal cavities turned up the H1N1 virus. </span></em></strong></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: "Times New Roman","serif"; font-size: 12pt; line-height: 115%;"><strong><em><span style="color: #0b5394;">In the years since, the research team has turned up 11 more cats, one dog and even some ferrets that seem to have been infected with H1N1 due to human contact. The animals’ flu symptoms—respiratory disease and, for some, eventual death—resemble the same symptoms suffered by humans who encounter severe strains of the flu. </span></em></strong></span></div>
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjF4jphR8oMJMMYZ7ae4eQqvNUhisQbv9tDNj-hi8uQSU-tvlDSOyFq_ArtADtOeOthmaqaf2NK-eH93oqtFSN8VAoySd4sO7LKtwgcBf-Ios1nbUJ375lvyLFUDaxlHeds9Dt_N9FnPlo/s1600/Cat+Close+Contact.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: right; float: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: 1em;"></a><br /></div>
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjF4jphR8oMJMMYZ7ae4eQqvNUhisQbv9tDNj-hi8uQSU-tvlDSOyFq_ArtADtOeOthmaqaf2NK-eH93oqtFSN8VAoySd4sO7LKtwgcBf-Ios1nbUJ375lvyLFUDaxlHeds9Dt_N9FnPlo/s1600/Cat+Close+Contact.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: right; float: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: 1em;"><img border="0" height="217" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjF4jphR8oMJMMYZ7ae4eQqvNUhisQbv9tDNj-hi8uQSU-tvlDSOyFq_ArtADtOeOthmaqaf2NK-eH93oqtFSN8VAoySd4sO7LKtwgcBf-Ios1nbUJ375lvyLFUDaxlHeds9Dt_N9FnPlo/s320/Cat+Close+Contact.jpg" width="320" /></a><span style="font-family: "Times New Roman","serif"; font-size: 12pt; line-height: 115%;"><strong><em><span style="color: #0b5394;">For the roughly 100 million U.S. households that have a cat or dog, this news might trigger immediate concern, and the researchers say that anyone experiencing flu-like symptoms should distance themselves from their pets in much the same way they would from other people. Since this area has been the subject of so little attention, they say that there might be many more undiscovered cases of the flu jumping from humans to pets. “It’s reasonable to assume there are many more cases of this than we know about, and we want to learn more,” Loehr said.</span></em></strong></span><br />
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<em><strong><span style="color: #0b5394;">...</span><span style="color: #0b5394;">a<span style="font-family: "Times New Roman","serif"; font-size: 12pt; line-height: 115%;">ll of the animals’ symptoms were similar to that of
humans -- they rapidly develop severe respiratory disease, stop eating and some
die. Serological studies suggest there is far more exposure to flu virus in
cats and dogs than previously known. </span></span></strong></em><span style="color: #0b5394;"><em><strong><br />
</strong></em></span><br />
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhnMh8Uvr1Z-6qEqbsrmbnd8haEakNRq1QOnl48WRX11hB_qGJhJ5gn5UL3e9M_rNL4TlLqUigg9teV1rtHSifTpFmQDYLiXOhX8momDVkLYBtMngCUhN6_rjaeqOwRNioQMrSuJymBv9M/s1600/Sick+Dog.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhnMh8Uvr1Z-6qEqbsrmbnd8haEakNRq1QOnl48WRX11hB_qGJhJ5gn5UL3e9M_rNL4TlLqUigg9teV1rtHSifTpFmQDYLiXOhX8momDVkLYBtMngCUhN6_rjaeqOwRNioQMrSuJymBv9M/s1600/Sick+Dog.jpg" /></a></div>
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</strong></em></span><span style="font-family: "Times New Roman","serif"; font-size: 12pt; line-height: 115%;"><span style="color: #0b5394;"><em><strong>Natural and experimental transmission of the H3N2
influenza virus from dogs to cats in South Korea showed the potential for flu
viruses to be transmitted among various animal species, Loehr said. It’s
unknown if an infected cat or other pet could pass influenza back to humans. </strong></em></span></span><span style="color: #0b5394;"><em><strong>
</strong></em></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: "Times New Roman","serif"; font-size: 12pt; line-height: 115%;"><span style="color: #0b5394;"><em><strong>The primary concern in “reverse zoonosis,” as in
evolving flu viruses in more traditional hosts such as birds and swine, is that
in any new movement of a virus from one species to another, the virus might
mutate into a more virulent, harmful or easily transmissible form. </strong></em></span></span><span style="color: #0b5394;"><em><strong>
</strong></em></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: "Times New Roman","serif"; font-size: 12pt; line-height: 115%;"><span style="color: black;"><span style="color: #0b5394;"><strong><em>“All viruses can, and do, mutate, but the influenza
virus raises special concern because it can change whole segments of its viral
sequence fairly easily,” Loehr said. “In terms of hosts and mutations, who’s to
say that the cat couldn’t be the new pig? We’d just like to know more about
</em></strong><strong><em>this....”</em></strong></span> </span></span></div>
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<span style="color: #0b5394;"><span style="font-family: "Times New Roman","serif"; font-size: 12pt; line-height: 115%; mso-ansi-language: EN-US; mso-bidi-language: AR-SA; mso-fareast-font-family: Calibri; mso-fareast-language: EN-US; mso-fareast-theme-font: minor-latin;"><strong><em>Realistically, though, the actual number of animals infected is small when compared to the population at large. The bigger worry is that the flu virus could mutate into a more dangerous form as it is transmitted from humans to animals. "Anytime you have infection of a virus into a new species, it's a concern, a black box of uncertainty," Loehr noted.</em></strong></span></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: "Times New Roman","serif"; font-size: 12pt; line-height: 115%;"><strong><em><span style="color: #0b5394;">The influenza virus in particular mutates notoriously easily, with entire segments of its genome changing within a generation. The reason that H1N1 was declared a “national emergency” in 2009 was because it was a strain that mutated when it jumped from pigs to humans, raising the possibility that it had taken on a more deadly form that could be transmitted more easily between people. </span></em></strong></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: "Times New Roman","serif"; font-size: 12pt; line-height: 115%;"><strong><em><span style="color: #0b5394;">In a worst-case scenario, the pets we keep in our homes could serve as the same type of mutation-inducing vector—the flu could be passed from human to pet, mutate into a more dangerous form, and then potentially affect both humans and other animals. “In terms of hosts and mutations, who’s to say that the cat couldn’t be the new pig?” Loehr asked. “We don’t know for sure what the implications might be, but we do think this deserves more attention.”</span></em></strong></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: "Times New Roman","serif"; font-size: 12pt; line-height: 115%;"><span style="color: #0b5394;"><span style="color: black;">Adapted from:</span> <span style="font-family: "Times New Roman","serif"; font-size: 12pt; line-height: 115%; mso-ansi-language: EN-US; mso-bidi-language: AR-SA; mso-fareast-font-family: Calibri; mso-fareast-language: EN-US; mso-fareast-theme-font: minor-latin;"><a href="http://blogs.smithsonianmag.com/science/2012/10/can-you-give-the-flu-to-your-dog-or-cat/?utm_source=smithsoniantopic&utm_medium=email&utm_campaign=20121007-weekender"><span style="color: blue;">http://blogs.smithsonianmag.com/science/2012/10/can-you-give-the-flu-to-your-dog-or-cat/?utm_source=smithsoniantopic&utm_medium=email&utm_campaign=20121007-weekender</span></a> <span style="color: black;">and</span> <span style="font-family: "Times New Roman","serif"; font-size: 12pt; line-height: 115%; mso-ansi-language: EN-US; mso-bidi-language: AR-SA; mso-fareast-font-family: Calibri; mso-fareast-language: EN-US; mso-fareast-theme-font: minor-latin;"><a href="http://www.ktvz.com/news/New-twist-You-could-give-your-dog-cat-the-flu/-/413192/16843884/-/8uw7sxz/-/index.html"><span style="color: blue;">http://www.ktvz.com/news/New-twist-You-could-give-your-dog-cat-the-flu/-/413192/16843884/-/8uw7sxz/-/index.html</span></a></span></span></span></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: "Times New Roman","serif"; font-size: 12pt; line-height: 115%;"><span style="color: black; font-family: Times, "Times New Roman", serif;"><span style="font-family: "Times New Roman","serif"; font-size: 12pt; line-height: 115%; mso-ansi-language: EN-US; mso-bidi-language: AR-SA; mso-fareast-font-family: Calibri; mso-fareast-language: EN-US; mso-fareast-theme-font: minor-latin;">At this point, a word about the "H_N_" designations of influenza viruses is in order. To simplify it, an influenza virus has 2 main types of large proteins on its outer layer. They are known as Hemagglutinin and Neuraminidase, thus the "H" and "N". There are several different varieties of each of these proteins and those are reflected in the numerical designation, such as the H3N8 of dog flu. </span></span></span><br />
<br />
If you've followed any of the coverage of a wide spread influenza outbreak, you'll remember that pigs and birds are always mentioned in the same article. Going back even further, the place most likely to be at the center of any new form of influenza is China and the rest of southeast Asia...where, interestingly enough, there is the highest concentration of pigs and ducks found anywhere in the world.<br />
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<span style="font-family: "Times New Roman","serif"; font-size: 12pt; line-height: 115%;"><strong><em><span style="color: #b45f06;">...pigs can be infected with both human and avian
influenza viruses in addition to swine influenza viruses. Infected pigs get
symptoms similar to humans, such as cough, fever and runny nose. Because pigs
are susceptible to avian, human and swine influenza viruses, they potentially
may be infected with influenza viruses from different species (e.g., ducks and
humans) at the same time. If this happens, it is possible for the genes of
these viruses to mix and create a new virus. For example, if a pig were infected
with a human influenza virus and an avian influenza virus at the same time, the
viruses could mix (reassort) and produce a new virus that had most of the genes
from the human virus, but a hemagglutinin and/or neuraminidase from the avian
virus. The resulting new virus would likely be able to infect humans and spread
from person to person, but it would have surface proteins (hemagglutinin and/or
neuraminidase) not previously seen in influenza viruses that infect humans.
If this new virus
causes illness in people and can be transmitted easily from person to person,
an influenza pandemic can occur.</span></em></strong></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: "Times New Roman","serif"; font-size: 12pt; line-height: 115%;"><span style="color: black;">Adapted from: <span style="font-family: "Times New Roman","serif"; font-size: 12pt; line-height: 115%; mso-ansi-language: EN-US; mso-bidi-language: AR-SA; mso-fareast-font-family: Calibri; mso-fareast-language: EN-US; mso-fareast-theme-font: minor-latin;"><a href="http://www.cdc.gov/flu/about/viruses/transmission.htm"><span style="color: blue;"></span></a><span style="color: blue;"><a href="http://www.cdc.gov/flu/about/viruses/transmission.htm">http://www.cdc.gov/flu/about/viruses/transmission.htm</a></span></span></span></span> </div>
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<span style="font-family: "Times New Roman","serif"; line-height: 115%;"><span style="color: #351c75; font-size: x-large;"><span style="font-family: "Times New Roman","serif"; line-height: 115%; mso-ansi-language: EN-US; mso-bidi-language: AR-SA; mso-fareast-font-family: Calibri; mso-fareast-language: EN-US; mso-fareast-theme-font: minor-latin;"><strong><em>Key Facts About Canine Influenza (Dog Flu)</em></strong></span></span></span><span style="color: black;"></span><br />
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<span style="font-family: "Times New Roman","serif"; font-size: 12pt; line-height: 115%;"><strong><em><span style="color: #351c75;">Questions and Answers</span></em></strong></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: "Times New Roman","serif"; font-size: 12pt; line-height: 115%;"><strong><em><span style="color: #351c75;"><u>What is canine influenza (dog flu) ?</u></span></em></strong></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: "Times New Roman","serif"; font-size: 12pt; line-height: 115%;"><strong><em><span style="color: #351c75;">Dog flu is a contagious respiratory disease in dogs
caused by a specific Type A influenza virus referred to as a “canine influenza
virus.” This is a disease of dogs, not of humans. </span></em></strong></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: "Times New Roman","serif"; font-size: 12pt; line-height: 115%;"><strong><em><span style="color: #351c75;"><u>What is a canine influenza virus?</u></span></em></strong></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: "Times New Roman","serif"; font-size: 12pt; line-height: 115%;"><strong><em><span style="color: #351c75;">The “canine influenza virus” is an influenza A H3N8
influenza virus (not a human influenza virus) that was originally an equine
(horse) influenza virus. This virus has spread to dogs and can now spread
between dogs. </span></em></strong></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: "Times New Roman","serif"; font-size: 12pt; line-height: 115%;"><strong><em><span style="color: #351c75;"><u>How long has canine influenza been around?</u></span></em></strong></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: "Times New Roman","serif"; font-size: 12pt; line-height: 115%;"><strong><em><span style="color: #351c75;">The H3N8 equine influenza virus has been known to
exist in horses for more than 40 years. In 2004, however, cases of an unknown
respiratory illness in dogs (initially greyhounds) were reported. An
investigation showed that this respiratory illness was caused by the equine
influenza A H3N8 virus. Scientists believe that this virus jumped species (from
horses to dogs) and has now adapted to cause illness in dogs and spread
efficiently among dogs. This is now considered a new dog-specific lineage of
H3N8. In September of 2005, this virus was identified by experts as “a newly
emerging pathogen in the dog population” in the United States.</span></em></strong></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: "Times New Roman","serif"; font-size: 12pt; line-height: 115%;"><strong><em><span style="color: #351c75;"><u>What are the symptoms of this infection in dogs?</u></span></em></strong></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: "Times New Roman","serif"; font-size: 12pt; line-height: 115%;"><strong><em><span style="color: #351c75;">The symptoms of this illness in dogs are cough,
runny nose and fever, however, a small proportion of dogs can develop severe
disease.</span></em></strong></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: "Times New Roman","serif"; font-size: 12pt; line-height: 115%;"><strong><em><span style="color: #351c75;"><u>How serious is this infection in dogs?</u></span></em></strong></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: "Times New Roman","serif"; font-size: 12pt; line-height: 115%;"><strong><em><span style="color: #351c75;">The number of dogs infected with this disease that
die is very small. Some dogs have asymptomatic infections (no symptoms), while
some have severe infections. Severe illness is characterized by the onset of
pneumonia. Although this is a relatively new cause of disease in dogs and
nearly all dogs are susceptible to infection, about 80 percent of dogs will
have a mild form of disease. </span></em></strong></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: "Times New Roman","serif"; font-size: 12pt; line-height: 115%;"><strong><em><span style="color: #351c75;"><u>How does dog flu spread?</u></span></em></strong></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: "Times New Roman","serif"; font-size: 12pt; line-height: 115%;"><strong><em><span style="color: #351c75;">Canine influenza virus can be spread by direct
contact with aerosolized respiratory secretions from infected dogs, by contact
with contaminated objects, and by people moving between infected and uninfected
dogs. Therefore, dog owners whose dogs are coughing or showing other signs of
respiratory disease should not participate in activities or bring their dogs to
facilities where other dogs can be exposed to the virus. Clothing, equipment,
surfaces, and hands should be cleaned and disinfected after exposure to dogs
showing signs of respiratory disease.</span></em></strong></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: "Times New Roman","serif"; font-size: 12pt; line-height: 115%;"><strong><em><span style="color: #351c75;"><u>Is there a test for canine influenza?</u></span></em></strong></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: "Times New Roman","serif"; font-size: 12pt; line-height: 115%;"><strong><em><span style="color: #351c75;">Testing to confirm canine influenza virus infection
is available at veterinary diagnostic centers. The tests can be performed using
respiratory secretions collected at the time of disease onset or using two blood
samples; the first collected while the animal is sick and the second 2 to 3
weeks later.</span></em></strong></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: "Times New Roman","serif"; font-size: 12pt; line-height: 115%;"><strong><em><span style="color: #351c75;"><u>How is canine influenza treated?</u> </span></em></strong></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: "Times New Roman","serif"; font-size: 12pt; line-height: 115%;"><strong><em><span style="color: #351c75;">Treatment largely consists of supportive care. This
helps the dog mount an immune response. In the milder form of the disease, this
care may include medication to make your dog more comfortable and fluids to
ensure that your dog remains well-hydrated. Broad spectrum antibiotics may be
prescribed by your veterinarian if a secondary bacterial infection is
suspected. </span></em></strong></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: "Times New Roman","serif"; font-size: 12pt; line-height: 115%;"><strong><em><span style="color: #351c75;"><u>Is there a vaccine for canine influenza?</u></span></em></strong></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: "Times New Roman","serif"; font-size: 12pt; line-height: 115%;"><strong><em><span style="color: #351c75;">Yes, an approved vaccine is available. </span></em></strong></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: "Times New Roman","serif"; font-size: 12pt; line-height: 115%;"><strong><em><span style="color: #351c75;"><u>What is the risk to humans from this virus?</u></span></em></strong></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: "Times New Roman","serif"; font-size: 12pt; line-height: 115%;"><strong><em><span style="color: #351c75;">To date, there is no evidence of transmission of
canine influenza virus from dogs to people and there has not been a single
reported case of human infection with the canine influenza virus. While this
virus infects dogs and spreads between dogs, there is no evidence that this
virus infects humans.</span></em></strong></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: "Times New Roman","serif"; font-size: 12pt; line-height: 115%;"><strong><em><span style="color: #351c75;">However, human infections with new influenza viruses
(against which the human population has little immunity) would be concerning if
they occurred. Influenza viruses are constantly changing and it is possible for
a virus to change so that it could infect humans and spread easily between
humans. Such a virus could represent a pandemic influenza threat. For this
reason, the Centers for Disease Control and its partners are monitoring the H3N8 influenza virus (as well
as other animal influenza viruses) along with instances of possible human
exposure to these viruses very closely. In general, however, canine influenza
viruses are considered to pose a low threat to humans. As mentioned earlier,
while these viruses are well established in horse and dog populations, there is
no evidence of infection among humans with this virus. </span></em></strong></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: "Times New Roman","serif"; font-size: 12pt; line-height: 115%;"><strong><em><span style="color: #351c75;"><u>My dog has a cough, what should I do?<o:p></o:p></u></span></em></strong></span></div>
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<strong><em><span style="color: #351c75;">
<span style="font-family: "Times New Roman","serif"; font-size: 12pt; line-height: 115%; mso-ansi-language: EN-US; mso-bidi-language: AR-SA; mso-fareast-font-family: Calibri; mso-fareast-language: EN-US; mso-fareast-theme-font: minor-latin;">Schedule an
appointment with your veterinarian so that they can evaluate your dog and
recommend an appropriate course of treatment.</span></span></em></strong></div>
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<span style="color: #351c75;"><span style="font-family: "Times New Roman","serif"; font-size: 12pt; line-height: 115%; mso-ansi-language: EN-US; mso-bidi-language: AR-SA; mso-fareast-font-family: Calibri; mso-fareast-language: EN-US; mso-fareast-theme-font: minor-latin;"><span style="color: black;">Adapted from:</span> <span style="font-family: "Times New Roman","serif"; font-size: 12pt; line-height: 115%; mso-ansi-language: EN-US; mso-bidi-language: AR-SA; mso-fareast-font-family: Calibri; mso-fareast-language: EN-US; mso-fareast-theme-font: minor-latin;"><a href="http://www.cdc.gov/flu/canine/"><span style="color: blue;">http://www.cdc.gov/flu/canine/</span></a><span style="color: black;">
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Be sure to think about all of this if anyone in your household comes down with the flu this winter.<br />
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<strong><span style="font-size: x-large;">SPORTS NEWS</span></strong><br />
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjJncU0GqDuE9hsOEyXYeNB8fOrIUXoDTfDC-n2LUnJyCIOqJyilrXrHxfAJRkWN7XpZzSBcDseJDfpKnDGSzwgtM6jt27Ip6HJefaXTagdJNJuN54QgeJ05YRHXng_C-Iu3GxznVSU2RA/s1600/sports+balls.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"></a><br /></div>
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjJncU0GqDuE9hsOEyXYeNB8fOrIUXoDTfDC-n2LUnJyCIOqJyilrXrHxfAJRkWN7XpZzSBcDseJDfpKnDGSzwgtM6jt27Ip6HJefaXTagdJNJuN54QgeJ05YRHXng_C-Iu3GxznVSU2RA/s1600/sports+balls.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjJncU0GqDuE9hsOEyXYeNB8fOrIUXoDTfDC-n2LUnJyCIOqJyilrXrHxfAJRkWN7XpZzSBcDseJDfpKnDGSzwgtM6jt27Ip6HJefaXTagdJNJuN54QgeJ05YRHXng_C-Iu3GxznVSU2RA/s1600/sports+balls.jpg" /></a>The <strong><span style="background-color: #cccccc; color: #990000;">Ohio State Buckeyes</span></strong> should most likely move up to the #3 spot in the AP College Football poll this week now that Alabama has defeated Georgia. It's really a moot point since we are finishing our 1 year on probation and cannot play for the National Championship this year...but, it's still nice to be considered near the top of any of these lists. This will give us a big boost as we look forward to the 2013 season. Our basketball team is still in the Top 5 as well, so all is good in Columbus.<br />
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I wasn't going to mention the <strong><span style="background-color: #f1c232;">Pittsburgh Steelers</span></strong> until they started playing like the season meant something to them. Well, today they did just that...they came from behind in the 4th quarter to beat the Ravens...in Baltimore, no less...something no team has done for 2 years. With our injured starters starting to return to the line-up, we just might have a decent shot at the playoffs.<br />
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<strong><span style="font-size: x-large;">PERSONAL STUFF</span></strong><br />
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Desperado and Helpful Buckeye saw the movie, <strong><em>Lincoln</em></strong>, this week and were very impressed with the way the film depicted the internal struggles that went on during the Civil War. In addition, much of the movie was filmed in and around Richmond, VA, the capital of the Confederacy, and we recognized many of the local sites from our 25 years there.<br />
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With the beginning of December, Desperado and Helpful Buckeye are ready to begin our medley of good old Christmas movies that we watch each year. We always begin with <strong><em>Holiday Inn</em></strong>, starring Bing Crosby and Fred Astaire and then watch about 9 more until Christmas Day. Also, I put together a new music portfolio of about 15 hours of Holiday music on Windows Media Player. You might not think there'd be any new Holiday music, but you'd be wrong. We listened to some of it tonight and it was great!<br />
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<span style="color: black; font-size: 12pt; mso-ansi-language: EN-US; mso-bidi-language: AR-SA; mso-fareast-font-family: "Times New Roman"; mso-fareast-language: EN-US;"><em>~~The goal of this blog is to provide general
information and advice to help you be a better pet owner and to have a more
rewarding relationship with your pet. This blog does not intend to replace the
professional one-on-one care your pet receives from a practicing veterinarian.
When in doubt about your pet's health, always visit a veterinarian.~~</em></span></div>
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Helpful Buckeyehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/18134633849820948837noreply@blogger.com4tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-16663019142577616.post-56092026858987965032012-11-26T00:00:00.000-07:002012-11-26T00:00:09.193-07:00CATS VS. DOGS<br />
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjWg4XHPArAe48IWf4HKFy5O8-TNXP5SHvUaOGBREsYePXobDgt3NVu_k4Ha36Lvq2vDQn1OgCjsLqPmOORj7p1vEE4BwsyBfs5vADwYDL3hd5wAbyNn0ZHNGLFbGKJ9BaBn6wZHpbuu_0/s1600/Cat+and+Dog6.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjWg4XHPArAe48IWf4HKFy5O8-TNXP5SHvUaOGBREsYePXobDgt3NVu_k4Ha36Lvq2vDQn1OgCjsLqPmOORj7p1vEE4BwsyBfs5vADwYDL3hd5wAbyNn0ZHNGLFbGKJ9BaBn6wZHpbuu_0/s1600/Cat+and+Dog6.jpg" /></a></div>
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In addition to the Hatfields and the McCoys, the North and the South, Ohio State and Michigan fans, and (currently) Democrats and Republicans, there is the constant running feud between cats and dogs (and sometimes their owners). As a practicing veterinarian, Helpful Buckeye had the advantage of being able to view this phenomenon up close and personal. To be truthful, even though there is adequate evidence that this conflict is real, there are also some variables to consider...as seen in the photo above. Some cats and dogs do get along, either by peaceful coexistence or outright affection for each other. Furthermore, Helpful Buckeye had many clients who had both felines and canines in their household.<br />
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Nonetheless, there is plenty to explore in this age-old hostility. Helpful Buckeye will offer you some insight into the apparent differences between these members of the pet kingdom and the people who choose to have them as pets, as well as some discussion about their similarities and their benefits.<br />
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<span style="font-family: "Times New Roman","serif"; font-size: 12pt; line-height: 115%;"><strong><span style="font-size: x-large;"><em><span style="color: blue;">Do Dogs and Cats Think Differently?<o:p></o:p></span></em></span></strong></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: "Times New Roman","serif"; font-size: 12pt; line-height: 115%;">By: Dr. Jon</span></div>
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<span style="font-family: "Times New Roman","serif"; font-size: 12pt; line-height: 115%;"><strong><em><span style="color: blue;">Do dogs and cats think differently? You bet they do.
In some ways, they can be like men and women. Yes, I am speaking in general
terms, but I think most of us agree that there are some differences in how men
think vs. how women think. I think the same is true with dogs and cats. </span></em></strong></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: "Times New Roman","serif"; font-size: 12pt; line-height: 115%;"><strong><em><span style="color: blue;">One of our writers took a fun and creative look at
"How Dogs Think Versus How Cats Think". </span></em></strong></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: "Times New Roman","serif"; font-size: 12pt; line-height: 115%;"><strong><em><span style="color: blue;">She put her thoughts in writing and every time I
read them it makes me smile. Here they are:</span></em></strong></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: "Times New Roman","serif"; font-size: 12pt; line-height: 115%;"><strong><em><span style="color: blue;"><u>From the Dog's Perspective<o:p></o:p></u></span></em></strong></span></div>
<strong><em><span style="color: blue;">
</span></em></strong><span style="font-family: "Times New Roman","serif"; font-size: 12pt; line-height: 115%;"><strong><em><span style="color: blue;">I knock myself out to please the leader of my pack.
Day in and day out, I follow his lead; sit when I'm told to sit; eat when he
lets me eat; sleep where he tells me to sleep; and go to the bathroom when he's
ready to take me for a walk.<o:p></o:p></span></em></strong></span><br />
<strong><em><span style="color: blue;">
</span></em></strong><br />
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<span style="font-family: "Times New Roman","serif"; font-size: 12pt; line-height: 115%;"><strong><em><span style="color: blue;">And what do I ask from him in return? Just being
able to shower my "Leader" with affection and attention, and to receive praise
(and a few belly rubs) for a job well done. But my housemate, the cat, has
absolutely no responsibilities and gets treated as if she's Top Dog. This is
all very confusing ... maybe the Cat is the true pack leader.</span></em></strong></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: "Times New Roman","serif"; font-size: 12pt; line-height: 115%;"><strong><em><span style="color: blue;">When the cat first arrived, I was overjoyed! The
leader spends only a few hours every day with me. He spends the rest of the
time with his pack members. Hey, that's all right – I know my place in
the hierarchy of things. They play with me too, and occasionally give me
treats, so I'm not complaining.</span></em></strong></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: "Times New Roman","serif"; font-size: 12pt; line-height: 115%;"><strong><em><span style="color: blue;">Then one of the lesser members of the pack brings
home this quiet little fur ball they called alternatively "The Cat"
or "Whiskers." I thought the Leader was bringing me a toy, but
whenever I approached, it reared back and made an ugly hissing noise. When I
got real close, it batted me in the nose with its paw. Some toy!</span></em></strong></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: "Times New Roman","serif"; font-size: 12pt; line-height: 115%;"><strong><em><span style="color: blue;">It finally dawned on me that this was a new member
of the pack. I wanted to make sure she knew her place in our little society, so
I ate her food, drank her water and chased her around the house and up the
bookcase. I was feeling pretty good about myself, so I sat there, barking my
victory to her.</span></em></strong></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: "Times New Roman","serif"; font-size: 12pt; line-height: 115%;"><strong><em><span style="color: blue;">Guess what happened next, dear diary.... </span></em></strong></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: "Times New Roman","serif"; font-size: 12pt; line-height: 115%;"><strong><em><span style="color: blue;">I was reprimanded! The pack leader scolded me while
I was barking at the cat. I made the connection between barking and the cat –
this wasn't the first time I was scolded for barking too much. But it became
clear that they weren't too thrilled with me chasing the cat all over the house
either.</span></em></strong></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: "Times New Roman","serif"; font-size: 12pt; line-height: 115%;"><strong><em><span style="color: blue;">So I ate her food and then played in the sand. What
fun! Then the pack leader stopped me. Another scolding. It slowly dawned me: my
place is below the cat!! How did this happen? I don't know my weights and
measures, but I'm obviously bigger, AND I have seniority.</span></em></strong></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: "Times New Roman","serif"; font-size: 12pt; line-height: 115%;"><strong><em><span style="color: blue;">I began to notice other oddities. The cat jumps on
the couch at will. She ignores the higher pack members when they call for her,
and sometimes approaches them when they don't call. She only comes running when she hears
the can opener. She jumps on laps and goes to sleep. The day I tried that, the
boy yelped and I received a reprimand.</span></em></strong></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: "Times New Roman","serif"; font-size: 12pt; line-height: 115%;"><strong><em><span style="color: blue;">She walks around all high and mighty, leaping on furniture;
I even caught her scratching the sofa. When she wants to do nature's business,
she doesn't walk to the door and whine – she struts over to the sand-filled box.</span></em></strong></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: "Times New Roman","serif"; font-size: 12pt; line-height: 115%;"><strong><em><span style="color: blue;">Come to think of it, Diary, she hates most
everything I like: constant attention; car rides (she screams like a banshee!);
fetch; walking on a leash and belly rubs. I thought I was included on that list
of dislikes, but one day when I was napping on my bed, she sidled up next to
me, and began making a curious, yet not displeasing buzzing noise.</span></em></strong></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: "Times New Roman","serif"; font-size: 12pt; line-height: 115%;"><strong><em><span style="color: blue;">And sometimes she approaches me to play, although
she doesn't know how to invite me politely. Maybe there's hope for us yet,
Diary. All I have to do is know my place in the pack.</span></em></strong></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: "Times New Roman","serif"; font-size: 12pt; line-height: 115%;"><strong><em><span style="color: blue;"><u>From the Cat's Perspective</u></span></em></strong></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: "Times New Roman","serif"; font-size: 12pt; line-height: 115%;"><strong><em><span style="color: blue;">He's at it again. The barking. That constant barking
during my daily naps. I don't know what I dislike most about that dog - the
barking, the foreign scent everywhere, his freakish need for approval and
attention ... or the baffling desire to eat my food and play in my litter box.
Just what is he trying to prove?</span></em></strong></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: "Times New Roman","serif"; font-size: 12pt; line-height: 115%;"><strong><em><span style="color: blue;">Perhaps I should start at the beginning. I adopted a
family recently. As I explored my new home I picked up an awfully un-catlike
scent everywhere. Naturally, I set about changing the scent to my own to let
would-be interlopers know this land has been claimed.</span></em></strong></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: "Times New Roman","serif"; font-size: 12pt; line-height: 115%;"><strong><em><span style="color: blue;">But every time I went on kitty patrol, I picked up
that scent again. Well, after a few days, I discovered what the smell was. A
dog! My family hid him like a dirty little secret, no doubt afraid of my
reaction. I suppose they wanted to set me at ease by introducing the dog gradually.</span></em></strong></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: "Times New Roman","serif"; font-size: 12pt; line-height: 115%;"><strong><em><span style="color: blue;">I stumbled upon him by accident when the door was
accidentally left open. He came into my room and tried to greet me with that
big snout of his, but I bravely batted him with my paw and ran away. The
lumbering giant took after me, and I nimbly avoided him by climbing my tree.</span></em></strong></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: "Times New Roman","serif"; font-size: 12pt; line-height: 115%;"><strong><em><span style="color: blue;">He sat looking up at me, barking impotently, but I
wasn't about to climb down. After awhile, I realized I was frustrating him
because there was just no way he could make it up the tree. I showed him my
disdain by yawning nonchalantly. Unfortunately, my food bowl and litter box
were left behind. He retaliated against me by eating my food and desecrating my
box.</span></em></strong></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: "Times New Roman","serif"; font-size: 12pt; line-height: 115%;"><strong><em><span style="color: blue;">I don't understand his behavior, Diary, or why my
family puts up with him. He hardly sleeps a wink and always wants to play.
Sure, I was like that as a kitten, but you have to grow up sometime.</span></em></strong></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: "Times New Roman","serif"; font-size: 12pt; line-height: 115%;"><strong><em><span style="color: blue;">As the months passed, it became clear the dog just
wasn't learning the art of subtlety. He doesn't understand there is a time and
place for everything. When someone calls for me, why rush? What's so important
I have to run? And the incessant begging. Where's his dignity? If you see
something you want, just show a little more affection and purr a little louder
to remind the family you're there.</span></em></strong></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: "Times New Roman","serif"; font-size: 12pt; line-height: 115%;"><strong><em><span style="color: blue;">Well, I decided to make the dog my pet project. I
try to set an example of how to hunt and chase, the proper times and places to
take a nap and that he has his food and I have mine. I think I'm beginning to
rub off on him. The other day, I caught the dog taking a midday nap. I was so
proud I couldn't resist joining him. Now, we have a routine. We take one nap a
day together, eat, then he chases me until I get tired of the game and tease
him by climbing out of his reach. I've even grown accustomed to his scent.</span></em></strong></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: "Times New Roman","serif"; font-size: 12pt; line-height: 115%;"><strong><em><span style="color: blue;">He still reverts to form on occasion, though. When
he's excited, the dog just can't help jumping, running and, worst of all, that
barking. Oh well, Diary. We'll just take it one day at a time....</span></em></strong></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: "Times New Roman","serif"; font-size: 12pt; line-height: 115%;"><span style="color: black;">Adapted from: <span style="font-family: "Calibri","sans-serif"; font-size: 11pt; line-height: 115%; mso-ansi-language: EN-US; mso-ascii-theme-font: minor-latin; mso-bidi-font-family: "Times New Roman"; mso-bidi-language: AR-SA; mso-bidi-theme-font: minor-bidi; mso-fareast-font-family: Calibri; mso-fareast-language: EN-US; mso-fareast-theme-font: minor-latin; mso-hansi-theme-font: minor-latin;"><a href="http://www.petplace.com/dogs/do-dogs-and-cats-think-differently/page1.aspx?utm_source=catcrazynews001et&utm_medium=email&utm_content=petplace_article&utm_campaign=dailynewsletter"><span style="font-family: "Times New Roman","serif"; font-size: 12pt; line-height: 115%;"><span style="color: blue;">http://www.petplace.com/dogs/do-dogs-and-cats-think-differently/page1.aspx?utm_source=catcrazynews001et&utm_medium=email&utm_content=petplace_article&utm_campaign=dailynewsletter</span></span></a></span><o:p></o:p></span></span></div>
<br />
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<span style="font-family: "Times New Roman","serif"; font-size: 12pt; line-height: 115%;"><strong><em><span style="color: #38761d;"><span style="font-size: x-large;">Dog vs. Cat: Which is Right For You?<o:p></o:p></span></span></em></strong></span></div>
<br />
<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin: 0in 0in 10pt;">
<span style="font-family: "Times New Roman","serif"; font-size: 12pt; line-height: 115%;">By: Alex Lieber</span></div>
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<span style="font-family: "Times New Roman","serif"; font-size: 12pt; line-height: 115%;"><strong><em><span style="color: #38761d;">He wants a dog; she desires a cat. In his mind's
eye, he longs for a doting canine to play with in the park or to accompany him
on jogs. She sees herself curled up on the couch, reading a book, with a kitty
snoozing in her lap.</span></em></strong></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: "Times New Roman","serif"; font-size: 12pt; line-height: 115%;"><strong><em><span style="color: #38761d;">Choosing between a dog and a cat can be difficult.
In a nutshell, dogs require more time, attention and money, but as pack animals
are often much more social than cats. On the other hand, cats, being more
independent, are easier to care for, much neater and usually cost less.</span></em></strong></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: "Times New Roman","serif"; font-size: 12pt; line-height: 115%;"><strong><em><span style="color: #38761d;">All pets require love, attention, play time, some
grooming and regular veterinary visits. How much differs between a dog and a
cat. The choice comes down to what you want out of a pet and how much energy
you are prepared to devote.</span></em></strong></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: "Times New Roman","serif"; font-size: 12pt; line-height: 115%;"><strong><em><span style="color: #38761d;">Where you live also plays a big role in the decision
– or even makes the decision for you. Some apartments or condos have
restrictions on the size or type of pet you can have. If your building doesn't
permit dogs, don't break the rules and get one. The worst thing to do is to
adopt a loving puppy, and then return him to the shelter.</span></em></strong></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: "Times New Roman","serif"; font-size: 12pt; line-height: 115%;"><strong><em><span style="color: #38761d;"><u>Downsides and Upsides to Dogs</u></span></em></strong></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: "Times New Roman","serif"; font-size: 12pt; line-height: 115%;"><strong><em><span style="color: #38761d;">Dogs want to be involved in all aspects of your
life, more so than cats. They also require more care. If you're late home from
work, someone will need to walk the dog. If it's raining or snowing, the dog
still needs to be walked. </span></em></strong></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: "Times New Roman","serif"; font-size: 12pt; line-height: 115%;"><strong><em><span style="color: #38761d;">Walks should be something to look forward to. If it
sounds like a chore, because you work unholy hours and generally neglect your
home life, then maybe a dog isn't for you. </span></em></strong></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: "Times New Roman","serif"; font-size: 12pt; line-height: 115%;"><strong><em><span style="color: #38761d;">A dog needs to spend quality time with you as well.
After all, he's waited for you to come home all day. Playing with a dog can be
exhausting, especially if he's an exuberant puppy. Again, this is something you
should be looking forward to all day – not a task that you want done and over
with.</span></em></strong></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: "Times New Roman","serif"; font-size: 12pt; line-height: 115%;"><strong><em><span style="color: #38761d;">Vacations or business trips add to the complexity.
You will need to find someone to dog sit because he will get very lonely
without you. If you can't find someone to house sit, then you may have to find a
good kennel. Finding the right kennel can also be time-consuming, not to
mention expensive.</span></em></strong></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: "Times New Roman","serif"; font-size: 12pt; line-height: 115%;"><strong><em><span style="color: #38761d;">On the whole, dogs tend to cost more than cats. The
bigger the dog, the more food he needs - and the bigger the droppings to be
picked up. He also requires periodic grooming and bathing. You can do this
yourself or bring him to a professional groomer, but it needs to be done
because, unlike a cat, he won't do it himself.</span></em></strong></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: "Times New Roman","serif"; font-size: 12pt; line-height: 115%;"><strong><em><span style="color: #38761d;">These may sound like a lot of downsides, but dogs
want to be totally involved in your life. They love every moment you spend with
them. If you like taking car trips, you've got a faithful buddy who is happy to
go. If you like to exercise, you'll find no other partner as committed. Their
eagerness to please makes them more amenable to obeying your commands.</span></em></strong></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: "Times New Roman","serif"; font-size: 12pt; line-height: 115%;"><strong><em><span style="color: #38761d;">Dogs also perform many roles, such as watchdogs.
Although they should be chosen as companions first, dogs make many people feel
safer. Indeed, dogs are considered the best "house alarms" one can
own.</span></em></strong></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: "Times New Roman","serif"; font-size: 12pt; line-height: 115%;"><strong><em><span style="color: #38761d;"><u>Downsides and Upsides to Cats</u></span></em></strong></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: "Times New Roman","serif"; font-size: 12pt; line-height: 115%;"><strong><em><span style="color: #38761d;">Cats don't make good burglar alarms and are not
likely to scare off intruders. And few cats will take to a leash unless
training is begun at an early age. Cats are not pack animals, so they don't
have an innate need to please you. If a cat learns a trick, it's because she
wants to.</span></em></strong></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: "Times New Roman","serif"; font-size: 12pt; line-height: 115%;"><strong><em><span style="color: #38761d;">Cats require some grooming, such as nail trims, as
well as periodic brushing. Although she doesn't have to go outside to go to the
bathroom, her litter box needs to be scooped every day, and the litter needs to
be changed weekly or, at least, once every two weeks.</span></em></strong></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: "Times New Roman","serif"; font-size: 12pt; line-height: 115%;"><strong><em><span style="color: #38761d;">And the cat's famous independence is also a
consideration. Because she doesn't feel the need to please, a cat will approach
you for affection when she wants to be petted and stroked. Can your ego stand
catering to your pet's whims?</span></em></strong></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: "Times New Roman","serif"; font-size: 12pt; line-height: 115%;"><strong><em><span style="color: #38761d;">But because a cat is more independent, they can be
left alone for longer periods of time. Although a cat will miss you, she
doesn't depend on you to be home right at 5 p.m. for a walk. If you are gone
for longer periods, your cat will do well with a house sitter, but she can also
get by with someone feeding and checking up on her twice a day.</span></em></strong></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: "Times New Roman","serif"; font-size: 12pt; line-height: 115%;"><strong><em><span style="color: #38761d;">When you do get home, you can lie on the couch and
vegetate; she'll probably be happy to curl up with you for a nap. Cats do need
play time, but the effort is less taxing on you because she'll do the running
and jumping.</span></em></strong></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: "Times New Roman","serif"; font-size: 12pt; line-height: 115%;"><strong><em><span style="color: #38761d;">And finally, cats may hate cars, but they are more
easily moved than a dog. As mentioned earlier in this piece, rentals are more
likely to accept a cat than a dog. For the person who moves around a lot, this
is ideal. </span></em></strong></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: "Times New Roman","serif"; font-size: 12pt; line-height: 115%;"><strong><em><span style="color: #38761d;"><u>Know Thyself</u></span></em></strong></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin: 0in 0in 10pt;">
<span style="font-family: "Times New Roman","serif"; font-size: 12pt; line-height: 115%;"></span><span style="font-family: "Times New Roman","serif"; font-size: 12pt; line-height: 115%;"><strong><em><span style="color: #38761d;">Here are some questions to ask when deciding between
a dog and a cat:</span></em></strong></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: "Times New Roman","serif"; font-size: 12pt; line-height: 115%;"><strong><em><span style="color: #38761d;">• Are you the active, outdoorsy type? If you want to
play with your pet outside, a dog may be the right choice. This isn't to say
that cats cannot be taken outside under your close supervision or walked on a
leash, but a dog is much more likely to enjoy the experience.</span></em></strong></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin: 0in 0in 10pt;">
<span style="font-family: "Times New Roman","serif"; font-size: 12pt; line-height: 115%;"><strong><em><span style="color: #38761d;">• Do you mind daily walks? Remember, this is
necessary for a dog in rain, sleet or snow, unless you have a specific place
for your dog to go in the house.</span></em></strong></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin: 0in 0in 10pt;">
<span style="font-family: "Times New Roman","serif"; font-size: 12pt; line-height: 115%;"><strong><em><span style="color: #38761d;">• What does your family want? Choosing a dog or cat
should be a family decision.</span></em></strong></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: "Times New Roman","serif"; font-size: 12pt; line-height: 115%;"><strong><em><span style="color: #38761d;">• Do you have children under 7 years old? Experts
say children should be between 7 and 9 years old before getting a dog. Dogs may
not tolerate the antics of children, or they may even hurt children
accidentally during play. Although you should always keep an eye on the kids
and the pets together, it is even more important with a dog.</span></em></strong></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin: 0in 0in 10pt;">
<span style="font-family: "Times New Roman","serif"; font-size: 12pt; line-height: 115%;"><strong><em><span style="color: #38761d;">• How neat are you? Living with a pet usually means
cleaning up hair. Some dogs and cats shed less than others, but all do shed to
an extent. Dogs generally require more clean up, even if they are housebroken.
Some breeds drool a lot, which will give you something more to clean up.</span></em></strong></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: "Times New Roman","serif"; font-size: 12pt; line-height: 115%;"><strong><em><span style="color: #38761d;">• Do you want to feel needed? Dogs and cats may both
get excited and greet you when you come home, but a dog will stay excited. A
cat will seek affection on her terms, not yours.</span></em></strong></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin: 0in 0in 10pt;">
<span style="font-family: "Times New Roman","serif"; font-size: 12pt; line-height: 115%;"><strong><em><span style="color: #38761d;">• Do you need to be "Number 1"? A properly
trained dog (one that doesn't see himself as the alpha wolf) will look to you
for leadership and strive to please you. Your relationship with your cat will
not be that one-sided. Her independence may bring your relationship to that of
equal (or even higher than you).</span></em></strong></span></div>
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Adapted from: <span style="font-family: "Calibri","sans-serif"; font-size: 11pt; line-height: 115%; mso-ansi-language: EN-US; mso-ascii-theme-font: minor-latin; mso-bidi-font-family: "Times New Roman"; mso-bidi-language: AR-SA; mso-bidi-theme-font: minor-bidi; mso-fareast-font-family: Calibri; mso-fareast-language: EN-US; mso-fareast-theme-font: minor-latin; mso-hansi-theme-font: minor-latin;"><a href="http://www.petplace.com/dogs/dog-vs-cat-which-is-right-for-you/page1.aspx?utm_source=dogcrazynews001et&utm_medium=email&utm_content=petplace_article&utm_campaign=dailynewsletter"><span style="font-family: "Times New Roman","serif"; font-size: 12pt; line-height: 115%;"><span style="color: blue;">http://www.petplace.com/dogs/dog-vs-cat-which-is-right-for-you/page1.aspx?utm_source=dogcrazynews001et&utm_medium=email&utm_content=petplace_article&utm_campaign=dailynewsletter</span></span></a></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: "Calibri","sans-serif"; font-size: 11pt; line-height: 115%; mso-ansi-language: EN-US; mso-ascii-theme-font: minor-latin; mso-bidi-font-family: "Times New Roman"; mso-bidi-language: AR-SA; mso-bidi-theme-font: minor-bidi; mso-fareast-font-family: Calibri; mso-fareast-language: EN-US; mso-fareast-theme-font: minor-latin; mso-hansi-theme-font: minor-latin;"><span style="font-family: Times New Roman; font-size: small;">
</span></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin: 0in 0in 10pt; text-align: center;">
<span style="font-family: "Calibri","sans-serif"; font-size: 11pt; line-height: 115%; mso-ansi-language: EN-US; mso-ascii-theme-font: minor-latin; mso-bidi-font-family: "Times New Roman"; mso-bidi-language: AR-SA; mso-bidi-theme-font: minor-bidi; mso-fareast-font-family: Calibri; mso-fareast-language: EN-US; mso-fareast-theme-font: minor-latin; mso-hansi-theme-font: minor-latin;"><span style="font-family: "Times New Roman","serif"; font-size: 12pt; line-height: 115%;"><strong><em><span style="color: #741b47;"><span style="font-size: x-large;">The truth about cat people and dog people</span></span></em></strong></span></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin: 0in 0in 10pt; text-align: center;">
<span style="font-family: "Times New Roman","serif"; font-size: 12pt; line-height: 115%;"><strong><em><span style="color: #741b47;">Research shows that your preference for felines or
canines really does say something about your personality</span></em></strong></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin: 0in 0in 10pt;">
<span style="font-family: "Times New Roman","serif"; font-size: 12pt; line-height: 115%;"><strong><em><span style="color: #741b47;">Are you a dog person or a cat person? It’s likely
that you align yourself with one of these labels, and research shows that your
preference for one animal or the other reveals a bit about your personality. </span></em></strong></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin: 0in 0in 10pt;">
<span style="font-family: "Times New Roman","serif"; font-size: 12pt; line-height: 115%;"><strong><em><span style="color: #741b47;">Sixty-two percent of U.S. households have a pet,
according to the American Pet Products Association. Dogs are the most popular
pets with 39 percent of U.S. households owning at least one canine, but cats
come in second with 33 percent of U.S. households having at least one cat. </span></em></strong></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin: 0in 0in 10pt;">
<span style="font-family: "Times New Roman","serif"; font-size: 12pt; line-height: 115%;"><strong><em><span style="color: #741b47;">But can our choice of furry friend really say
something about who we are? Sometimes. </span></em></strong></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: "Times New Roman","serif"; font-size: 12pt; line-height: 115%;"><strong><em><span style="color: #741b47;">Studies show that we tend to gravitate toward the
animals with which we were raised, and factors like age and living space also
play a role in pet ownership. Parents with young children are more inclined to
have dogs that kids can take outside, while older people and singles are more
likely to have lower-maintenance animals like cats. And people in the suburbs
are more likely to adopt large dogs, while apartment dwellers are likely to
have cats or small dogs. </span></em></strong></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: "Times New Roman","serif"; font-size: 12pt; line-height: 115%;"><strong><em><span style="color: #741b47;">Still, research shows that there are differences
between cat people and dog people. A University of Texas study found that those
who define themselves as dog people are more extroverted, agreeable and
conscientious than self-proclaimed cat people. Those with a preference for
felines, on the other hand, are more creative, adventurous and prone to
neuroticism or anxiety. </span></em></strong></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: "Times New Roman","serif"; font-size: 12pt; line-height: 115%;"><strong><em><span style="color: #741b47;">Your pet might even indicate how you vote. A 2008
Gallup survey of 2,000 Americans found that 33 percent of dog owners identified
themselves as Republicans, while only 28 percent of cat owners leaned to the
right. But a Hunch.com poll of 200,000 pet owners found the split to be more
even. According to its results, dog people are 50 percent more likely to be
conservatives than cat people. </span></em></strong></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin: 0in 0in 10pt;">
<span style="font-family: "Times New Roman","serif"; font-size: 12pt; line-height: 115%;"><strong><em><span style="color: #741b47;">However, there are some things that cat people and
dog people have in common. Both types of people talk to animals, consider
themselves close to nature, dislike animal-print clothing, and are generally
optimists.</span></em></strong></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin: 0in 0in 10pt;">
<span style="font-family: "Times New Roman","serif"; font-size: 12pt; line-height: 115%;"><strong><em><span style="color: #741b47;">The Hunch.com survey also found that both cat people
and dog people are equally likely to have a four-year degree, but cat people
are 17 percent more likely to have completed a graduate degree. </span></em></strong></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin: 0in 0in 10pt;">
<span style="font-family: "Times New Roman","serif"; font-size: 12pt; line-height: 115%;"><strong><em><span style="color: #741b47;">Check out some of the other findings from
Hunch.com’s survey below. </span></em></strong></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin: 0in 0in 10pt;">
<span style="font-family: "Times New Roman","serif"; font-size: 12pt; line-height: 115%;"><strong><em><span style="color: #741b47;">Living area preferences: </span></em></strong></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin: 0in 0in 10pt;">
<span style="font-family: "Times New Roman","serif"; font-size: 12pt; line-height: 115%;"><strong><em><span style="color: #741b47;"><span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>• Dog people
are 30 percent more likely to live in a rural area.</span></em></strong></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin: 0in 0in 10pt;">
<span style="font-family: "Times New Roman","serif"; font-size: 12pt; line-height: 115%;"><strong><em><span style="color: #741b47;"><span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>• Cat people
are 29 percent move likely to live in an urban area. </span></em></strong></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin: 0in 0in 10pt;">
<span style="font-family: "Times New Roman","serif"; font-size: 12pt; line-height: 115%;"><strong><em><span style="color: #741b47;">Animal rescue leanings:</span></em></strong></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin: 0in 0in 10pt;">
<span style="font-family: "Times New Roman","serif"; font-size: 12pt; line-height: 115%;"><strong><em><span style="color: #741b47;"><span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>• Dog people
are 67 percent more likely to call animal control if they find stray kittens.</span></em></strong></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin: 0in 0in 10pt;">
<span style="font-family: "Times New Roman","serif"; font-size: 12pt; line-height: 115%;"><strong><em><span style="color: #741b47;"><span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>• Cat people
are 21 percent more likely to rescue the stray kittens. </span></em></strong></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin: 0in 0in 10pt;">
<span style="font-family: "Times New Roman","serif"; font-size: 12pt; line-height: 115%;"><strong><em><span style="color: #741b47;">Phones: </span></em></strong></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin: 0in 0in 10pt;">
<span style="font-family: "Times New Roman","serif"; font-size: 12pt; line-height: 115%;"><strong><em><span style="color: #741b47;"><span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>• Dog people
are 36 percent more likely to use a popular song as a ringtone.</span></em></strong></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin: 0in 0in 10pt;">
<span style="font-family: "Times New Roman","serif"; font-size: 12pt; line-height: 115%;"><strong><em><span style="color: #741b47;"><span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>• Cat people
are 11 percent more likely to have contacts in both their cellphone and a
physical address book. </span></em></strong></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin: 0in 0in 10pt;">
<span style="font-family: "Times New Roman","serif"; font-size: 12pt; line-height: 115%;"><strong><em><span style="color: #741b47;">Children:</span></em></strong></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin: 0in 0in 10pt;">
<span style="font-family: "Times New Roman","serif"; font-size: 12pt; line-height: 115%;"><strong><em><span style="color: #741b47;"><span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>• Dog people
are 24 percent more likely to have kids.</span></em></strong></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin: 0in 0in 10pt;">
<span style="font-family: "Times New Roman","serif"; font-size: 12pt; line-height: 115%;"><strong><em><span style="color: #741b47;"><span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>• Cat people
are 33 percent more likely to prefer taking care of a friend’s kids than a
friend’s dogs. </span></em></strong></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin: 0in 0in 10pt;">
<span style="font-family: "Times New Roman","serif"; font-size: 12pt; line-height: 115%;"><strong><em><span style="color: #741b47;">Favorite Beatle?</span></em></strong></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin: 0in 0in 10pt;">
<span style="font-family: "Times New Roman","serif"; font-size: 12pt; line-height: 115%;"><strong><em><span style="color: #741b47;"><span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>• Dog people
are 18 percent more likely to consider Paul McCartney their favorite Beatle.</span></em></strong></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin: 0in 0in 10pt;">
<span style="font-family: "Times New Roman","serif"; font-size: 12pt; line-height: 115%;"><strong><em><span style="color: #741b47;"><span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>• Cat people
are 25 percent more likely to consider George Harrison their favorite Beatle. </span></em></strong></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin: 0in 0in 10pt;">
<span style="font-family: "Times New Roman","serif"; font-size: 12pt; line-height: 115%;"><strong><em><span style="color: #741b47;">What makes you laugh?</span></em></strong></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin: 0in 0in 10pt;">
<span style="font-family: "Times New Roman","serif"; font-size: 12pt; line-height: 115%;"><strong><em><span style="color: #741b47;">• Dog people are 30 percent more likely to enjoy
slapstick humor and impressions.</span></em></strong></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin: 0in 0in 10pt;">
<span style="font-family: "Times New Roman","serif"; font-size: 12pt; line-height: 115%;"><strong><em><span style="color: #741b47;"><span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>• Cat people
are 21 percent more likely to enjoy ironic humor and puns. </span></em></strong></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin: 0in 0in 10pt;">
<span style="font-family: "Times New Roman","serif"; font-size: 12pt; line-height: 115%;"><strong><em><span style="color: #741b47;">Random facts</span></em></strong></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin: 0in 0in 10pt;">
<span style="font-family: "Times New Roman","serif"; font-size: 12pt; line-height: 115%;"><strong><em><span style="color: #741b47;"><span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>• Dog people
are 9 percent more likely to think of zoos as happy place.</span></em></strong></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin: 0in 0in 10pt;">
<span style="font-family: "Times New Roman","serif"; font-size: 12pt; line-height: 115%;"><strong><em><span style="color: #741b47;"><span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>• Cat people
are 10 percent more likely to be active on Twitter. </span></em></strong></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin: 0in 0in 10pt;">
<span style="font-family: "Times New Roman","serif"; font-size: 12pt; line-height: 115%;"><strong><em><span style="color: #741b47;">When it comes to media choices, Hunch.com found that
dog people prefer jam bands, reggae and psychedelic rock, while cat people
listen to more New Wave, classic rock and electronic music. </span></em></strong></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin: 0in 0in 10pt;">
<span style="font-family: "Times New Roman","serif"; font-size: 12pt; line-height: 115%;"><strong><em><span style="color: #741b47;">Dog people listed “American Idol” and “Everybody
Loves Raymond” as their favorite TV shows and “Crash” and “No Country For Old
Men” as their top movie choices. Cat people preferred “CSI” and “Real Time With
Bill Maher” for TV and listed “Slumdog Millionaire” and “The Hurt Locker” as
their favorite movies. <o:p></o:p></span></em></strong></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin: 0in 0in 10pt;">
<span style="font-size: small;"><span style="font-family: Times New Roman;"><strong><em><span style="color: #741b47;">
<span style="font-family: "Times New Roman","serif"; font-size: 12pt; line-height: 115%; mso-ansi-language: EN-US; mso-bidi-language: AR-SA; mso-fareast-font-family: Calibri; mso-fareast-language: EN-US; mso-fareast-theme-font: minor-latin;">But what about those
people with both cats and dogs? According to Hunch.com's survey, these people
are likely to be female suburbanites who are politically middle of the road.</span></span></em></strong></span></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin: 0in 0in 10pt;">
<span style="font-size: small;"><span style="color: black; font-family: Times New Roman;"><span style="font-family: "Times New Roman","serif"; font-size: 12pt; line-height: 115%; mso-ansi-language: EN-US; mso-bidi-language: AR-SA; mso-fareast-font-family: Calibri; mso-fareast-language: EN-US; mso-fareast-theme-font: minor-latin;"><span style="font-family: Times, "Times New Roman", serif;">Adapted from</span>: <span style="font-family: "Calibri","sans-serif"; font-size: 11pt; line-height: 115%; mso-ansi-language: EN-US; mso-ascii-theme-font: minor-latin; mso-bidi-font-family: "Times New Roman"; mso-bidi-language: AR-SA; mso-bidi-theme-font: minor-bidi; mso-fareast-font-family: Calibri; mso-fareast-language: EN-US; mso-fareast-theme-font: minor-latin; mso-hansi-theme-font: minor-latin;"><a href="http://www.mnn.com/family/pets/stories/the-truth-about-cat-people-and-dog-people"><span style="font-family: Times, "Times New Roman", serif;">http://www.mnn.com/family/pets/stories/the-truth-about-cat-people-and-dog-people</span></a> </span></span></span></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin: 0in 0in 10pt;">
<span style="font-size: small;"><span style="color: black; font-family: Times New Roman;"><span style="font-family: "Times New Roman","serif"; font-size: 12pt; line-height: 115%; mso-ansi-language: EN-US; mso-bidi-language: AR-SA; mso-fareast-font-family: Calibri; mso-fareast-language: EN-US; mso-fareast-theme-font: minor-latin;"><span style="font-family: "Calibri","sans-serif"; font-size: 11pt; line-height: 115%; mso-ansi-language: EN-US; mso-ascii-theme-font: minor-latin; mso-bidi-font-family: "Times New Roman"; mso-bidi-language: AR-SA; mso-bidi-theme-font: minor-bidi; mso-fareast-font-family: Calibri; mso-fareast-language: EN-US; mso-fareast-theme-font: minor-latin; mso-hansi-theme-font: minor-latin;"><span style="font-family: Times, "Times New Roman", serif;">Do you recognize any of yourself in</span> these descriptions? Any of your pets?<span style="font-family: Times New Roman; font-size: small;">
</span></span></span></span></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin: 0in 0in 10pt;">
<span style="font-size: small;"><span style="color: black; font-family: Times New Roman;"><span style="font-family: "Times New Roman","serif"; font-size: 12pt; line-height: 115%; mso-ansi-language: EN-US; mso-bidi-language: AR-SA; mso-fareast-font-family: Calibri; mso-fareast-language: EN-US; mso-fareast-theme-font: minor-latin;"><span style="font-family: "Calibri","sans-serif"; font-size: 11pt; line-height: 115%; mso-ansi-language: EN-US; mso-ascii-theme-font: minor-latin; mso-bidi-font-family: "Times New Roman"; mso-bidi-language: AR-SA; mso-bidi-theme-font: minor-bidi; mso-fareast-font-family: Calibri; mso-fareast-language: EN-US; mso-fareast-theme-font: minor-latin; mso-hansi-theme-font: minor-latin;"><span style="font-family: Times New Roman; font-size: small;">Now for some of the benefits of having a cat or a dog as a pet, here's what some experts have to say:
</span></span></span></span></span></div>
<span style="font-size: small;"><span style="color: black; font-family: Times New Roman;"></span></span><br />
<span style="font-size: small;"><span style="color: black; font-family: Times New Roman;"><div class="MsoNormal" style="margin: 0in 0in 10pt; text-align: center;">
<span style="font-family: "Times New Roman","serif"; font-size: 12pt; line-height: 115%;"><strong><em><span style="color: #b45f06;"><span style="font-size: x-large;">Cats may purr to your heart's content</span></span></em></strong></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin: 0in 0in 10pt; text-align: center;">
<span style="font-family: "Times New Roman","serif"; font-size: 12pt; line-height: 115%;"><strong><em><span style="color: #b45f06;">Latest research confirms evidence that having a pet
improves a person's health</span></em></strong></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin: 0in 0in 10pt;">
<span style="font-family: "Times New Roman","serif"; font-size: 12pt; line-height: 115%;">By William Hageman, Tribune Newspapers </span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin: 0in 0in 10pt;">
<span style="font-family: "Times New Roman","serif"; font-size: 12pt; line-height: 115%;"><strong><em><span style="color: #b45f06;">We know that pets are beneficial to our health —
they can lower a person's blood pressure, cholesterol and triglyceride levels,
and provide opportunities for exercise and socialization.</span></em></strong></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin: 0in 0in 10pt;">
<span style="font-family: "Times New Roman","serif"; font-size: 12pt; line-height: 115%;"><strong><em><span style="color: #b45f06;">In some cases, the source of the benefits is
obvious. You walk a dog for two miles, you'll be in better shape. But some of
the reported benefits are baffling.</span></em></strong></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin: 0in 0in 10pt;">
<span style="font-family: "Times New Roman","serif"; font-size: 12pt; line-height: 115%;"><strong><em><span style="color: #b45f06;">A 10-year study at the University of Minnesota
Stroke Center found that cat owners were 40 percent less likely to have heart
attacks than non-cat owners.</span></em></strong></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin: 0in 0in 10pt;">
<span style="font-family: "Times New Roman","serif"; font-size: 12pt; line-height: 115%;"><strong><em><span style="color: #b45f06;">Could a cat's purr be the reason?</span></em></strong></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin: 0in 0in 10pt;">
<span style="font-family: "Times New Roman","serif"; font-size: 12pt; line-height: 115%;"><strong><em><span style="color: #b45f06;">"Cats will purr when they're content, but also
they'll purr when they're about to be euthanized. It's thought they purr to
communicate with their kittens," says author and animal behavior
consultant Steve Dale. "It's thought to be a calming mechanism.</span></em></strong></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin: 0in 0in 10pt;">
<span style="font-family: "Times New Roman","serif"; font-size: 12pt; line-height: 115%;"><strong><em><span style="color: #b45f06;">"If that's the case … maybe they calm
themselves or other cats, but maybe there's a fallout and there's another
mammal species, us, that's impacted."</span></em></strong></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin: 0in 0in 10pt;">
<span style="font-family: "Times New Roman","serif"; font-size: 12pt; line-height: 115%;"><strong><em><span style="color: #b45f06;">In another study, conducted at Kean University in
New Jersey, subjects watched a "Lassie" movie. Their levels of
cortisol — a chemical associated with stress — were checked before and after
the film, and showed a decline after the movie.</span></em></strong></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin: 0in 0in 10pt;">
<span style="font-family: "Times New Roman","serif"; font-size: 12pt; line-height: 115%;"><strong><em><span style="color: #b45f06;">This animal connection, Dale explained, "alters
our neurochemistry. Not just the physiology, the blood pressure change, which
is significant, but also the neurochemistry. The scientists are discovering
there really is a difference here."</span></em></strong></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin: 0in 0in 10pt;">
<span style="font-family: "Times New Roman","serif"; font-size: 12pt; line-height: 115%;">Adapted from: <a href="http://www.chicagotribune.com/features/tribu/sc-fam-0306-pet-benefit-20120306,0,1763639.story"><span style="font-family: "Times New Roman","serif"; font-size: 12pt; line-height: 115%;"><span style="color: blue;">http://www.chicagotribune.com/features/tribu/sc-fam-0306-pet-benefit-20120306,0,1763639.story</span></span></a><span style="font-family: "Times New Roman","serif"; font-size: 12pt; line-height: 115%;">
</span></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin: 0in 0in 10pt;">
<span style="font-family: "Times New Roman","serif"; font-size: 12pt; line-height: 115%;"><span style="font-family: "Times New Roman","serif"; font-size: 12pt; line-height: 115%;">
</span></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin: 0in 0in 10pt; text-align: center;">
<span style="font-family: "Times New Roman","serif"; font-size: 12pt; line-height: 115%;"><strong><em><span style="color: #990000;"><span style="font-size: x-large;">7 Ways Dogs Can Help Your Health<o:p></o:p></span></span></em></strong></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin: 0in 0in 10pt;">
<span style="font-family: "Times New Roman","serif"; font-size: 12pt; line-height: 115%;">By STEPHANIE ALBIN, M.D.</span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin: 0in 0in 10pt;">
<span style="font-family: "Times New Roman","serif"; font-size: 12pt; line-height: 115%;"><strong><em><span style="color: #990000;">Dogs may be good at more than fetching sticks and
greeting you after a long day at work. As it turns out, simply having them
around may lessen your kids' chances of getting the common cold. </span></em></strong></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin: 0in 0in 10pt;">
<span style="font-family: "Times New Roman","serif"; font-size: 12pt; line-height: 115%;"><strong><em><span style="color: #990000;">Owning a dog may improve the health of children in
that household, according to new research from the University of California,
San Francisco. In a study of mice, researchers found that the house dust from
homes with dogs worked to protect against a common cold strain, the respiratory
syncytial virus (RSV). </span></em></strong></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin: 0in 0in 10pt;">
<span style="font-family: "Times New Roman","serif"; font-size: 12pt; line-height: 115%;"><strong><em><span style="color: #990000;">"Mice aren't identical to humans. There are
obvious differences," explains Dr. Susan Lynch, co-investigator of the
study and a professor at UCSF. "But we can do things in the animals that
we could not possibly do in humans, and we can get samples to examine disease
that would be very difficult to assess in humans."</span></em></strong></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin: 0in 0in 10pt;">
<span style="font-family: "Times New Roman","serif"; font-size: 12pt; line-height: 115%;"><strong><em><span style="color: #990000;">Animals fed house dust from dog-owning homes did not
exhibit the usual symptoms of RSV, including mucus production and lung
inflammation. In fact, their symptoms were comparable to animals that weren't
exposed to the virus in the first place. </span></em></strong></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin: 0in 0in 10pt;">
<span style="font-family: "Times New Roman","serif"; font-size: 12pt; line-height: 115%;"><strong><em><span style="color: #990000;">So what's the big deal about RSV? It's a virus to
which almost everybody has been exposed within the first few years of life.
However, it can be severe -- and sometimes fatal -- in premature and
chronically ill infants. It is the leading cause of bronchiolitis, which is an
inflammation of the small airways in the lung, as well as pneumonia in children
under 1 year of age in the United States, and it is associated with increased
risk of developing asthma. </span></em></strong></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin: 0in 0in 10pt;">
<span style="font-family: "Times New Roman","serif"; font-size: 12pt; line-height: 115%;"><strong><em><span style="color: #990000;">What excited researchers is that this work may help
explain why pet ownership has been associated with protection against childhood
asthma in the past. Their thought process is as follows: exposure to animals
early in life helps "train" the immune system, which plays an
integral part in asthma development. In short, there is reason to believe that
germs, such as those associated with dogs, may be good for children's health
under certain circumstances. </span></em></strong></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin: 0in 0in 10pt;">
<span style="font-family: "Times New Roman","serif"; font-size: 12pt; line-height: 115%;"><strong><em><span style="color: #990000;">"Everybody appreciates the fact that we're all
missing something big in asthma," says Dr. Robert Mellins, a pediatric
pulmonologist at Columbia University in New York. "People have appreciated
that viral infections clearly have an association, and this kind of experiment
is interesting because it suggests a mechanism of how that could come about."
</span></em></strong></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin: 0in 0in 10pt;">
<span style="font-family: "Times New Roman","serif"; font-size: 12pt; line-height: 115%;"><strong><em><span style="color: #990000;">The study is far from the first to suggest the
health benefits of having a canine in the family. The following are six other
ways that owning a dog may improve your health and well-being.</span></em></strong></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin: 0in 0in 10pt;">
<span style="font-family: "Times New Roman","serif"; font-size: 12pt; line-height: 115%;"><strong><em><span style="color: #990000;"><u>Dogs and Cardiovascular Health</u> </span></em></strong></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin: 0in 0in 10pt;">
<span style="font-family: "Times New Roman","serif"; font-size: 12pt; line-height: 115%;"><strong><em><span style="color: #990000;">Could owning a dog keep your heart healthy? Research
has supported a connection between owning a dog and reduced risk of
cardiovascular problems, including high blood pressure and elevated cholesterol
levels. In addition, a study published in the American Journal of Cardiology
found that male dog owners were less likely to die within one year after a
heart attack than those who did not own a dog.</span></em></strong></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin: 0in 0in 10pt;">
<span style="font-family: "Times New Roman","serif"; font-size: 12pt; line-height: 115%;"><strong><em><span style="color: #990000;"><u>Dogs and Anxiety</u> </span></em></strong></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin: 0in 0in 10pt;">
<span style="font-family: "Times New Roman","serif"; font-size: 12pt; line-height: 115%;"><strong><em><span style="color: #990000;">For people with all forms of anxiety, having a dog
may be an important coping mechanism. This is especially true in times of
crisis. A study out of the Medical College of Virginia found that for
hospitalized patients with mental health issues, therapy with animals
significantly reduced anxiety levels more than conventional recreational
therapy sessions.</span></em></strong></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin: 0in 0in 10pt;">
<span style="font-family: "Times New Roman","serif"; font-size: 12pt; line-height: 115%;"><strong><em><span style="color: #990000;"><u>Dogs and Loneliness</u> </span></em></strong></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin: 0in 0in 10pt;">
<span style="font-family: "Times New Roman","serif"; font-size: 12pt; line-height: 115%;"><strong><em><span style="color: #990000;">Dogs function as important companions and family
members, but certain groups may benefit more than others. The elderly,
particularly those in residential care facilities, often become socially
isolated once separated from immediate family. Researchers in Australia have
found that dogs improved the well-being of residents by promoting their
capacity to build relationships.</span></em></strong></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin: 0in 0in 10pt;">
<span style="font-family: "Times New Roman","serif"; font-size: 12pt; line-height: 115%;"><strong><em><span style="color: #990000;"><u>Dogs and Rehabilitation</u> </span></em></strong></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin: 0in 0in 10pt;">
<span style="font-family: "Times New Roman","serif"; font-size: 12pt; line-height: 115%;"><strong><em><span style="color: #990000;">In the setting of a severe illness or prolonged
hospitalization, therapy dogs can be integral in the process of rehabilitation.
A review of the literature looking at the function of service dogs proved that
dogs can assist people with various disabilities in performing everyday
activities, thereby significantly reducing their dependence on others.</span></em></strong></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin: 0in 0in 10pt;">
<span style="font-family: "Times New Roman","serif"; font-size: 12pt; line-height: 115%;"><strong><em><span style="color: #990000;"><u>Dogs and Activity</u> </span></em></strong></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: "Times New Roman","serif"; font-size: 12pt; line-height: 115%;"><strong><em><span style="color: #990000;">Before a dog is introduced into the home, the most
commonly asked question is, "Who is going to walk the dog?" Turns out
this responsibility may be important for the health of the family as well as
the dog. Studies from the American Journal of Public Health and the American
Journal of Preventive Medicine have shown that children with dogs spend more
time doing moderate to vigorous activity than those without dogs, and adults
with dogs walk on average almost twice as much as adults without dogs.</span></em></strong></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: "Times New Roman","serif"; font-size: 12pt; line-height: 115%;"><strong><em><span style="color: #990000;"><u>Dogs and Doctors</u> </span></em></strong></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: "Times New Roman","serif"; font-size: 12pt; line-height: 115%;"><strong><em><span style="color: #990000;">With all of these specific health benefits, could
dogs keep you away from the doctor altogether? A national survey out of
Australia found that dog and cat owners made fewer annual doctor visits and
generally had significantly lower use of general practitioner services.</span></em></strong></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: "Times New Roman","serif"; font-size: 12pt; line-height: 115%;">Adapted from: <span style="font-family: "Times New Roman","serif"; font-size: 12pt; line-height: 115%;"><a href="http://abcnews.go.com/Health/dogs-cut-common-cold-risk-ways-dogs-health/story?id=16604565#.T-D2sMWIga8"><span style="color: blue;">http://abcnews.go.com/Health/dogs-cut-common-cold-risk-ways-dogs-health/story?id=16604565#.T-D2sMWIga8</span></a></span></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: "Times New Roman","serif"; line-height: 115%;"><span style="font-family: "Times New Roman","serif"; line-height: 115%;"><strong><span style="font-size: x-large;">SPORTS NEWS</span></strong></span></span></div>
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjb0309O3-xaTg5QLD1iE92ert2H6qlcS17P0aJHeKtYzbExBb-0TRG-DMt701pAUb4lYPWEya1d7TiHaxTQhY6E-7V7YLHjHjlPwq17_cAC4WxzGg-r0lkais9XhmtS6pcJIa0qOK-wrQ/s1600/sports+balls.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"></a><br /></div>
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjb0309O3-xaTg5QLD1iE92ert2H6qlcS17P0aJHeKtYzbExBb-0TRG-DMt701pAUb4lYPWEya1d7TiHaxTQhY6E-7V7YLHjHjlPwq17_cAC4WxzGg-r0lkais9XhmtS6pcJIa0qOK-wrQ/s1600/sports+balls.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjb0309O3-xaTg5QLD1iE92ert2H6qlcS17P0aJHeKtYzbExBb-0TRG-DMt701pAUb4lYPWEya1d7TiHaxTQhY6E-7V7YLHjHjlPwq17_cAC4WxzGg-r0lkais9XhmtS6pcJIa0qOK-wrQ/s1600/sports+balls.jpg" /></a><span style="font-family: "Times New Roman","serif"; line-height: 115%;"><span style="font-family: "Times New Roman","serif"; line-height: 115%;">The <strong><span style="background-color: #cccccc; color: #990000;">Ohio State Buckeyes</span></strong> ended the season with a big win against Michigan, our long-time hated rival. The game was a bit sloppy at times for both teams but, fortunately for the Buckeyes, our defense got better as the game went on. We finished the season at 12-0, with Notre Dame being the only other undefeated team. This was a very good year for our new coach as he got the chance to see what it's like to coach in the Big 10. With all of our skill players returning next year, this will be hopefully a precursor to another great season next year. </span></span><br />
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<span style="font-family: "Times New Roman","serif"; line-height: 115%;"><span style="font-family: "Times New Roman","serif"; line-height: 115%;">The <strong><span style="background-color: #ffd966;">Pittsburgh Steelers</span></strong> went to Cleveland with our 3rd-string QB leading the team...and promptly lost to a 2-8 team. This loss pretty well makes it unlikely that we'll make the playoffs. Helpful Buckeye felt so sure this would be a bad game that I went for a 35-mile bike ride instead of watching it. I definitely got more out of the bike ride!</span></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: "Times New Roman","serif"; line-height: 115%;"><span style="font-family: "Times New Roman","serif"; line-height: 115%;"></span></span><span style="font-family: "Times New Roman","serif"; line-height: 115%;"><span style="font-family: "Times New Roman","serif"; line-height: 115%;"><strong><span style="font-size: x-large;">PERSONAL STUFF</span></strong></span></span></div>
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEidqCXWLw5LU58asIk485-V5LhRkKSujOmFYv0Dg0ragBpnwHzVTcQ7Fi3zrxXbrYLMJjdYGvSjz6BwgymDOQfsuCo1z75p9qa4hZ82FrlYYSrsCqE5Olj1u7s29QYvZcfKcVFculrO-wU/s1600/Hiker+Silhouette.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"></a><br /></div>
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEidqCXWLw5LU58asIk485-V5LhRkKSujOmFYv0Dg0ragBpnwHzVTcQ7Fi3zrxXbrYLMJjdYGvSjz6BwgymDOQfsuCo1z75p9qa4hZ82FrlYYSrsCqE5Olj1u7s29QYvZcfKcVFculrO-wU/s1600/Hiker+Silhouette.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEidqCXWLw5LU58asIk485-V5LhRkKSujOmFYv0Dg0ragBpnwHzVTcQ7Fi3zrxXbrYLMJjdYGvSjz6BwgymDOQfsuCo1z75p9qa4hZ82FrlYYSrsCqE5Olj1u7s29QYvZcfKcVFculrO-wU/s1600/Hiker+Silhouette.jpg" /></a><span style="font-family: "Times New Roman","serif"; line-height: 115%;"><span style="font-family: "Times New Roman","serif"; line-height: 115%;">Desperado and Helpful Buckeye took a 5-mile hike on Thanksgiving morning...her first hike of any length in more than a year. It was a great hike for her to get back in the swing of enjoying the outdoors again. For the first time in almost 2 years, Desperado had no pain or discomfort either during or after the hike. For that, we were very thankful! Onward to many more of these....</span></span><br />
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjtoZVgKgEKXlBA7F9odIiH0r3N5cGhoIkSRMHqXZVVJoF5nZ-gw2-NaqwQTUo3gV4sZJPcw20cTlQH2UEFMp6fsauWAZ5OYfsol2axlgmdIRZ5ENcRWmXwzTF-sqQaVlzblBJ0ePmF6kQ/s1600/Biker+Silhouette3.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"></a><br /></div>
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjtoZVgKgEKXlBA7F9odIiH0r3N5cGhoIkSRMHqXZVVJoF5nZ-gw2-NaqwQTUo3gV4sZJPcw20cTlQH2UEFMp6fsauWAZ5OYfsol2axlgmdIRZ5ENcRWmXwzTF-sqQaVlzblBJ0ePmF6kQ/s1600/Biker+Silhouette3.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjtoZVgKgEKXlBA7F9odIiH0r3N5cGhoIkSRMHqXZVVJoF5nZ-gw2-NaqwQTUo3gV4sZJPcw20cTlQH2UEFMp6fsauWAZ5OYfsol2axlgmdIRZ5ENcRWmXwzTF-sqQaVlzblBJ0ePmF6kQ/s1600/Biker+Silhouette3.jpg" /></a><span style="font-family: "Times New Roman","serif"; line-height: 115%;"><span style="font-family: "Times New Roman","serif"; line-height: 115%;">Helpful Buckeye finished the Tour de Tucson 60-mile bike race in good shape. My goals of coming in under 4 hours and finishing in the upper half of my age group were met. Even with the numerous serious wrecks I saw, the bike race was the most exciting athletic experience I've ever had and I'm already considering doing it again next year. Desperado and I really enjoyed the 4-day weekend down in Tucson...everything about it was superb!</span></span><br />
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<span style="font-family: "Times New Roman","serif"; line-height: 115%;"><span style="font-family: "Times New Roman","serif"; line-height: 115%;">Hallelujah!!! The Dunkin' Donuts finally opened here in Flagstaff...all this physical activity calls for an infusion of carbs, right?</span></span><span style="font-family: "Times New Roman","serif"; line-height: 115%;"><span style="font-family: "Times New Roman","serif"; line-height: 115%;"></span></span></div>
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<em><span style="color: black;">~~The goal of this blog is to
provide general information and advice to help you be a better pet owner and to
have a more rewarding relationship with your pet. This blog does not intend to
replace the professional one-on-one care your pet receives from a practicing
veterinarian. When in doubt about your pet's health, always visit a
veterinarian.~~</span></em></div>
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Helpful Buckeyehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/18134633849820948837noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-16663019142577616.post-37528512347399723622012-11-19T00:00:00.000-07:002012-11-21T05:14:34.833-07:00LET'S TALK ABOUT...DIARRHEA, PT. 2<br />
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<br />
How many of you will be going "over the river and through the woods" this week for the Thanksgiving holiday? Desperado and Helpful Buckeye will be at the home of some very dear friends here in Flagstaff for Thanksgiving dinner...something we've alternated years on for quite some time. Friends and family are important all through the year but especially so at certain times.<br />
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How many of you know who made the proclamation that designated the observation of Thanksgiving and when it occurred? No, it wasn't one of the Pilgrims....<br />
<br />
Helpful Buckeye thought you might be interested in reading the text of that proclamation:<br />
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<b style="mso-bidi-font-weight: normal;"><span style="color: #f79646; font-size: 16pt;"><span style="color: #b45f06;">PROCLAMATION OF THANKSGIVING<o:p></o:p></span></span></b></div>
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<span style="color: #b45f06;">
</span></div>
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<b style="mso-bidi-font-weight: normal;"><span style="color: #f79646; font-size: 16pt;"><span style="color: #b45f06; font-size: small;">PRESIDENT ABRAHAM LINCOLN - OCTOBER 3, 1863</span></span></b></div>
<b style="mso-bidi-font-weight: normal;"><o:p><span style="color: #b45f06;"> </span></o:p></b><br />
<span style="color: #b45f06;">
</span><span style="color: #b45f06;"><b style="mso-bidi-font-weight: normal;">"The year that is drawing
towards its close, has been filled with the blessings of fruitful fields and
healthful skies. To </b><b style="mso-bidi-font-weight: normal;">these bounties, which are so
constantly enjoyed that we are prone to forget the source from which they come,
others </b><b style="mso-bidi-font-weight: normal;">have been added, which are of so
extraordinary a nature, that they cannot fail to penetrate and soften even the
heart </b><b style="mso-bidi-font-weight: normal;">which is habitually insensible to the
ever watchful providence of Almighty God..."</b><b style="mso-bidi-font-weight: normal;"><o:p> </o:p></b></span><br />
<span style="color: #b45f06;">
</span><br />
<span style="color: #b45f06;"><b style="mso-bidi-font-weight: normal;">"No human counsel hath devised
nor hath any mortal hand worked out these great things. They are the gracious
gifts of </b><b style="mso-bidi-font-weight: normal;">the Most High God, who, while dealing
with us in anger for our sins, hath nevertheless remembered mercy. It has </b><b style="mso-bidi-font-weight: normal;">seemed to me fit and proper that they
should be solemnly, reverently and gratefully acknowledged as with one heart </b><b style="mso-bidi-font-weight: normal;">and one voice by the whole American
People."</b><b style="mso-bidi-font-weight: normal;"><o:p> </o:p></b></span><br />
<span style="color: #b45f06;">
</span><br />
<span style="color: #b45f06;"><b style="mso-bidi-font-weight: normal;">"I do therefore invite my fellow
citizens...to set apart and observe the last Thursday of November next, as a
day of </b><b style="mso-bidi-font-weight: normal;">Thanksgiving and Praise to our
beneficent Father who dwelleth in the Heavens. And I recommend to them that
while </b><b style="mso-bidi-font-weight: normal;">offering up the ascriptions justly
due to Him for such singular deliverances and blessings, they do also, with
humble </b><b style="mso-bidi-font-weight: normal;">penitence for our national
perverseness and disobedience, commend to His tender care all those who have
become w</b><b style="mso-bidi-font-weight: normal;">idows, orphans, mourners or suffers
in the lamentable civil strife in which we are unavoidably engaged, and
fervently </b><b style="mso-bidi-font-weight: normal;">implore the interposition of the
Almighty Hand to heal the wounds of the nation and to restore it as soon as may
be </b><b style="mso-bidi-font-weight: normal;">consistent with the Divine purposes
to the full enjoyment of peace, harmony, tranquility and union."</b><b style="mso-bidi-font-weight: normal;"><o:p> </o:p></b></span><br />
<span style="color: #b45f06;">
</span><br />
<b style="mso-bidi-font-weight: normal;"><span style="color: #b45f06;">"In testimony whereof, I have
hereunto set my hand and caused the Seal of the United States to be
affixed."</span></b><br />
<b style="mso-bidi-font-weight: normal;"><o:p><span style="color: #b45f06;"> </span></o:p></b><br />
<span style="color: #b45f06;">
<b style="mso-bidi-font-weight: normal;"><span style="font-family: "Times New Roman","serif"; font-size: 12pt; mso-ansi-language: EN-US; mso-bidi-language: AR-SA; mso-fareast-font-family: "Times New Roman"; mso-fareast-language: EN-US;">By
the President: Abraham Lincoln</span></b></span><br />
<br />
That proclamation was, of course, made during the heart of the Civil War...a very difficult time for the USA.<br />
<br />
Desperado and Helpful Buckeye are very thankful for the family that we have remaining, the good friends we have made over the years, our good health that allows us to enjoy the wonders of Mother Nature, and...for each other.<br />
<br />
Happy Thanksgiving to all of our readers, wherever you are!<br />
<br />
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In one way, it doesn't seem appropriate to follow Thanksgiving wishes with an article on pet diarrhea, does it? However, our regular readers will understand the other side of that coin. Helpful Buckeye always cautions pet owners to be careful about giving their pets any of the Thanksgiving dinner and the warning is the same for this year. Keep your pets as healthy as possible by watching them a little closer during the holidays. Don't offer them any of the table food from your Thanksgiving feast and take care to see that they cannot get into any of your food garbage as well. Those are some of the "dietary indiscretions" that are included in the following discussion. I know this makes you the "bad guy" but your pet can only get sick from that stuff. And, of course, diarrhea will be one of the consequences of not heeding this advice.<br />
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh40sA35y8G93-5Al17EOWui43UZYLP5zQ2qZRobT-BJgcl7et-N2cIkia2KD9TFHX6hFGaOC4R1Dr3utd8PrHUjE2nFM-LOksGW8TwN7Yl49awjm-jhABM4W8Gq6eUAPxvf5Qu74azjhs/s1600/Cat+Diarrhea.png" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="203" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh40sA35y8G93-5Al17EOWui43UZYLP5zQ2qZRobT-BJgcl7et-N2cIkia2KD9TFHX6hFGaOC4R1Dr3utd8PrHUjE2nFM-LOksGW8TwN7Yl49awjm-jhABM4W8Gq6eUAPxvf5Qu74azjhs/s320/Cat+Diarrhea.png" width="320" /></a></div>
<br />
<br />
...received so many funny comments about our introductory "diarrhea" cat that I decided to run it again for this second part of our discussion on diarrhea. As pointed out last week, Helpful Buckeye is now giving you some information on longer-lasting forms of diarrhea...what is known as "chronic" diarrhea.<br />
<br />
<span style="font-family: "Times New Roman","serif"; font-size: 12pt; line-height: 115%;">Diarrhea, as we discussed last week, is defined as the rapid movement of fecal
matter through the intestine resulting in poor absorption of water, nutrients
and electrolytes. With diarrhea the stools (bowel movements) can become loose or
runny. Chronic diarrhea refers to <strong>diarrhea that persists for three or more
weeks</strong>. Occasionally the fecal material may contain fresh blood or mucus.<o:p></o:p></span><br />
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<span style="font-family: "Times New Roman","serif"; line-height: 115%;"><strong><em><span style="color: #274e13; font-size: x-large;">CHRONIC DIARRHEA</span></em></strong></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: "Times New Roman","serif"; font-size: 12pt; line-height: 115%;"><strong><em><span style="color: #274e13;">Chronic diarrhea is an important sign of intestinal
disease in the dog and cat. Persistent diarrhea can lead to weight loss from poor
digestion and loss of important nutrients. Chronic diarrhea can lead to loss of
body condition, development of a poor hair coat, and may also affect appetite
and activity levels.</span></em></strong></span><span style="font-family: "Times New Roman","serif"; font-size: 12pt; line-height: 115%;"></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: "Times New Roman","serif"; font-size: 12pt; line-height: 115%;"><strong><em><span style="color: #274e13;">Chronic diarrhea is a change in the frequency,
consistency and volume of the pet's feces for more than three weeks. Starting
in the small or large intestine, diarrhea can either be secretory (where it is
very watery) or osmotic (not watery), and is due to various reasons, including
diet, disease, or infection. </span></em></strong></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: "Times New Roman","serif"; font-size: 12pt; line-height: 115%;"><strong><em><span style="color: #274e13;"><u>Symptoms and Types</u> </span></em></strong></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: "Times New Roman","serif"; font-size: 12pt; line-height: 115%;"><strong><em><span style="color: #274e13;">Symptoms found when it originates in the small
intestine may include:</span></em></strong></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: "Times New Roman","serif"; font-size: 12pt; line-height: 115%;"><strong><em><span style="color: #274e13;"><span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>•Weight loss</span></em></strong></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: "Times New Roman","serif"; font-size: 12pt; line-height: 115%;"><strong><em><span style="color: #274e13;"><span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>•Vomiting</span></em></strong></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: "Times New Roman","serif"; font-size: 12pt; line-height: 115%;"><strong><em><span style="color: #274e13;"><span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>•Abnormally
large volume of feces</span></em></strong></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin: 0in 0in 10pt;">
<span style="font-family: "Times New Roman","serif"; font-size: 12pt; line-height: 115%;"><strong><em><span style="color: #274e13;"><span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>•Frequency of
defecation increases (2–4 times per day)</span></em></strong></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin: 0in 0in 10pt;">
<span style="font-family: "Times New Roman","serif"; font-size: 12pt; line-height: 115%;"><strong><em><span style="color: #274e13;"><span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>•Gaseous
sounds from the gut</span></em></strong></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin: 0in 0in 10pt;">
<span style="font-family: "Times New Roman","serif"; font-size: 12pt; line-height: 115%;"><strong><em><span style="color: #274e13;"><span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>•Black, tarry
stool (melena)</span></em></strong></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin: 0in 0in 10pt;">
<span style="font-family: "Times New Roman","serif"; font-size: 12pt; line-height: 115%;"><strong><em><span style="color: #274e13;"><span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>•Very hearty
appetite (due to poor digestion and absorption of food)</span></em></strong></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin: 0in 0in 10pt;">
<span style="font-family: "Times New Roman","serif"; font-size: 12pt; line-height: 115%;"><strong><em><span style="color: #274e13;">Symptoms found when it originates in the large
intestine may include:</span></em></strong></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin: 0in 0in 10pt;">
<span style="font-family: "Times New Roman","serif"; font-size: 12pt; line-height: 115%;"><strong><em><span style="color: #274e13;"><span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>•Abnormally
smaller volume of feces</span></em></strong></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin: 0in 0in 10pt;">
<span style="font-family: "Times New Roman","serif"; font-size: 12pt; line-height: 115%;"><strong><em><span style="color: #274e13;"><span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>•Frequency of
defecation increases (more than 4 times per day)</span></em></strong></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin: 0in 0in 10pt;">
<span style="font-family: "Times New Roman","serif"; font-size: 12pt; line-height: 115%;"><strong><em><span style="color: #274e13;"><span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>•Bright, red
blood in the feces and/or mucus</span></em></strong></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin: 0in 0in 10pt;">
<span style="font-family: "Times New Roman","serif"; font-size: 12pt; line-height: 115%;"><strong><em><span style="color: #274e13;"><span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>•Straining to
defecate and urgency to defecate</span></em></strong></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin: 0in 0in 10pt;">
<span style="font-family: "Times New Roman","serif"; font-size: 12pt; line-height: 115%;"><strong><em><span style="color: #274e13;"><span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>•Pain while
defecating</span></em></strong></span><span style="font-family: "Times New Roman","serif"; font-size: 12pt; line-height: 115%;"></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin: 0in 0in 10pt;">
<strong><em><span style="color: #274e13;">
<span style="font-family: "Times New Roman","serif"; font-size: 12pt; line-height: 115%;"><span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>•Vomiting</span></span></em></strong><span style="font-family: "Times New Roman","serif"; font-size: 12pt; line-height: 115%;"></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin: 0in 0in 10pt;">
<span style="font-family: "Times New Roman","serif"; font-size: 12pt; line-height: 115%;"><u><strong><em><span style="color: #274e13;">Causes</span></em></strong></u></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin: 0in 0in 10pt;">
<span style="font-family: "Times New Roman","serif"; font-size: 12pt; line-height: 115%;"><strong><em><span style="color: #274e13;"><span style="font-family: "Times New Roman","serif"; font-size: 12pt; line-height: 115%; mso-ansi-language: EN-US; mso-bidi-language: AR-SA; mso-fareast-font-family: Calibri; mso-fareast-language: EN-US; mso-fareast-theme-font: minor-latin;">Most causes of chronic diarrhea induce local irritation or structural abnormalities of the intestinal mucosa (lining). There are numerous diseases and disorders that can lead to chronic diarrhea. </span> </span></em></strong></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin: 0in 0in 10pt;">
<span style="font-family: "Times New Roman","serif"; font-size: 12pt; line-height: 115%;"><strong><em><span style="color: #274e13;"><span style="font-size: large;">Small intestinal</span> abnormalities which can cause
diarrhea include:</span></em></strong></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin: 0in 0in 10pt;">
<span style="font-family: "Times New Roman","serif"; font-size: 12pt; line-height: 115%;"><strong><em><span style="color: #274e13;">◦Inflammatory bowel disease</span></em></strong></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin: 0in 0in 10pt;">
<span style="font-family: "Times New Roman","serif"; font-size: 12pt; line-height: 115%;"><strong><em><span style="color: #274e13;"><span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>◦Lymphangiectasia (protein-losing disease)</span></em></strong></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin: 0in 0in 10pt;">
<span style="font-family: "Times New Roman","serif"; font-size: 12pt; line-height: 115%;"><strong><em><span style="color: #274e13;"><span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>◦Infections
(e.g., viral and bacterial)</span></em></strong></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin: 0in 0in 10pt;">
<span style="font-family: "Times New Roman","serif"; font-size: 12pt; line-height: 115%;"><strong><em><span style="color: #274e13;"><span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>◦Parasites
(e.g., Giardia)</span></em></strong></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin: 0in 0in 10pt;">
<span style="font-family: "Times New Roman","serif"; font-size: 12pt; line-height: 115%;"><strong><em><span style="color: #274e13;"><span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>◦Cancer</span></em></strong></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin: 0in 0in 10pt;">
<span style="font-family: "Times New Roman","serif"; font-size: 12pt; line-height: 115%;"><strong><em><span style="color: #274e13;"><span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>◦Partial
blockage</span></em></strong></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin: 0in 0in 10pt;">
<span style="font-family: "Times New Roman","serif"; font-size: 12pt; line-height: 115%;"><strong><em><span style="color: #274e13;"><span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>◦Abnormally
short small intestine</span></em></strong></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin: 0in 0in 10pt;">
<span style="font-family: "Times New Roman","serif"; font-size: 12pt; line-height: 115%;"><strong><em><span style="color: #274e13;"><span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>◦Stomach
and/or intestinal ulcers</span></em></strong></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin: 0in 0in 10pt;">
<span style="font-family: "Times New Roman","serif"; font-size: 12pt; line-height: 115%;"><strong><em><span style="color: #274e13;">Poor Digestion </span></em></strong></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin: 0in 0in 10pt;">
<span style="font-family: "Times New Roman","serif"; font-size: 12pt; line-height: 115%;"></span><span style="font-family: "Times New Roman","serif"; font-size: 12pt; line-height: 115%;"><strong><em><span style="color: #274e13;">Pancreatic Disease</span></em></strong></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin: 0in 0in 10pt;">
<span style="font-family: "Times New Roman","serif"; font-size: 12pt; line-height: 115%;"><strong><em><span style="color: #274e13;"><span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>◦Liver and/or
gallbladder disease </span></em></strong></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin: 0in 0in 10pt;">
<span style="font-family: "Times New Roman","serif"; font-size: 12pt; line-height: 115%;"><strong><em><span style="color: #274e13;"> ◦Dietary indiscretion, intolerance or allergy; ingestion of foreign material</span></em></strong></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin: 0in 0in 10pt;">
<span style="font-family: "Times New Roman","serif"; font-size: 12pt; line-height: 115%;"><strong><em><span style="color: #274e13;"><span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>◦Gluten
sensitivity (In Irish Setters)</span></em></strong></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin: 0in 0in 10pt;">
<span style="font-family: "Times New Roman","serif"; font-size: 12pt; line-height: 115%;"><strong><em><span style="color: #274e13;"><span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>◦Underactive
adrenal glands</span></em></strong></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin: 0in 0in 10pt;">
<span style="font-family: "Times New Roman","serif"; font-size: 12pt; line-height: 115%;"><strong><em><span style="color: #274e13;"><span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>◦Urine waste
in the blood</span></em></strong></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin: 0in 0in 10pt;">
<span style="font-family: "Times New Roman","serif"; font-size: 12pt; line-height: 115%;"><strong><em><span style="color: #274e13;"><span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>◦Toxins or
drugs</span></em></strong></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin: 0in 0in 10pt;">
<span style="font-family: "Times New Roman","serif"; font-size: 12pt; line-height: 115%;"><strong><em><span style="color: #274e13;"><span style="font-size: large;">Large intestinal</span> abnormalities which can cause
diarrhea include: </span></em></strong></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin: 0in 0in 10pt;">
<span style="font-family: "Times New Roman","serif"; font-size: 12pt; line-height: 115%;"><strong><em><span style="color: #274e13;">◦Inflammatory bowel disease</span></em></strong></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin: 0in 0in 10pt;">
<span style="font-family: "Times New Roman","serif"; font-size: 12pt; line-height: 115%;"><strong><em><span style="color: #274e13;"><span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>◦Infections
(e.g., Viral and bacterial)</span></em></strong></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin: 0in 0in 10pt;">
<span style="font-family: "Times New Roman","serif"; font-size: 12pt; line-height: 115%;"><strong><em><span style="color: #274e13;"><span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>◦Parasites
(e.g., Giardia)</span></em></strong></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin: 0in 0in 10pt;">
<span style="font-family: "Times New Roman","serif"; font-size: 12pt; line-height: 115%;"><strong><em><span style="color: #274e13;"><span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>◦Cancer</span></em></strong></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin: 0in 0in 10pt;">
<span style="font-family: "Times New Roman","serif"; font-size: 12pt; line-height: 115%;"><strong><em><span style="color: #274e13;"> ◦Changes in diet</span></em></strong></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin: 0in 0in 10pt;">
<span style="font-family: "Times New Roman","serif"; font-size: 12pt; line-height: 115%;"><strong><em><span style="color: #274e13;"><span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>◦Low fiber in
diet</span></em></strong></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin: 0in 0in 10pt;">
<span style="font-family: "Times New Roman","serif"; font-size: 12pt; line-height: 115%;"><strong><em><span style="color: #274e13;"><span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>◦Irritable
bowel syndrome</span></em></strong></span><span style="font-family: "Times New Roman","serif"; font-size: 12pt; line-height: 115%;"><span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"></span></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin: 0in 0in 10pt;">
<span style="font-family: "Times New Roman","serif"; font-size: 12pt; line-height: 115%;"><strong><em><span style="color: #274e13;"><span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>•Birth
abnormalities such as a short colon </span></em></strong></span><strong><em><span style="color: #274e13;">
</span></em></strong><br />
<strong><em><span style="color: #274e13;"></span></em></strong><br />
<strong><em><span style="color: #274e13;"><span style="font-family: "Times New Roman","serif"; font-size: 12pt; line-height: 115%;"><u>Diagnosis</u></span></span></em></strong></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin: 0in 0in 10pt;">
<span style="font-family: "Times New Roman","serif"; font-size: 12pt; line-height: 115%;"><strong><em><span style="color: #274e13;">Veterinary care includes diagnostic tests to help
determine the underlying cause of the diarrhea, whether it's small or large intestine, and to guide subsequent
treatment recommendations. Many of the following may be necessary to
diagnose the cause of chronic diarrhea:</span></em></strong></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin: 0in 0in 10pt;">
<span style="font-family: "Times New Roman","serif"; font-size: 12pt; line-height: 115%;"><strong><em><span style="color: #274e13;">• A complete medical history and physical
examination</span></em></strong></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin: 0in 0in 10pt;">
<span style="font-family: "Times New Roman","serif"; font-size: 12pt; line-height: 115%;"><strong><em><span style="color: #274e13;">• Multiple fecal studies (flotation, smear and
cytology, zinc sulfate test) to search for intestinal parasites, protozoal
parasites, and bacteria</span></em></strong></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin: 0in 0in 10pt;">
<span style="font-family: "Times New Roman","serif"; font-size: 12pt; line-height: 115%;"><strong><em><span style="color: #274e13;">• A complete blood count (CBC)</span></em></strong></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin: 0in 0in 10pt;">
<span style="font-family: "Times New Roman","serif"; font-size: 12pt; line-height: 115%;"><strong><em><span style="color: #274e13;">• A biochemical profile (blood sample); might also include <span style="font-family: "Times New Roman","serif"; font-size: 12pt; line-height: 115%; mso-ansi-language: EN-US; mso-bidi-language: AR-SA; mso-fareast-font-family: Calibri; mso-fareast-language: EN-US; mso-fareast-theme-font: minor-latin;">thyroid function tests since hyperthyroidism in the cat may produce chronic diarrhea</span></span></em></strong></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin: 0in 0in 10pt;">
<span style="font-family: "Times New Roman","serif"; font-size: 12pt; line-height: 115%;"><strong><em><span style="color: #274e13;">• A urinalysis to help evaluate the kidneys and
level of hydration</span></em></strong></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin: 0in 0in 10pt;">
<span style="font-family: "Times New Roman","serif"; font-size: 12pt; line-height: 115%;"><strong><em><span style="color: #274e13;">• Abdominal radiographs (X-rays)</span></em></strong></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin: 0in 0in 10pt;">
<span style="font-family: "Times New Roman","serif"; font-size: 12pt; line-height: 115%;"><strong><em><span style="color: #274e13;">• Thoracic (chest) radiographs, particularly in
geriatric patients and animals who are suspected to have cancer </span></em></strong></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin: 0in 0in 10pt;">
<span style="font-family: "Times New Roman","serif"; font-size: 12pt; line-height: 115%;"><strong><em><span style="color: #274e13;">• Bacterial fecal cultures </span></em></strong></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin: 0in 0in 10pt;">
<span style="font-family: "Times New Roman","serif"; font-size: 12pt; line-height: 115%;"><strong><em><span style="color: #274e13;">• Tests for absorption and digestion problems, such
as serum trypsin-like immunoreactivity (TLI), serum folate and cobalamin levels</span></em></strong></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin: 0in 0in 10pt;">
<span style="font-family: "Times New Roman","serif"; font-size: 12pt; line-height: 115%;"><strong><em><span style="color: #274e13;">• Serologic tests for certain fungal diseases</span></em></strong></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin: 0in 0in 10pt;">
<span style="font-family: "Times New Roman","serif"; font-size: 12pt; line-height: 115%;"><strong><em><span style="color: #274e13;">Depending upon the clinical signs and the results of
the above tests, your veterinarian may recommend further testing. These tests
are chosen on a case-by-case basis:</span></em></strong></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin: 0in 0in 10pt;">
<span style="font-family: "Times New Roman","serif"; font-size: 12pt; line-height: 115%;"><strong><em><span style="color: #274e13;">• Abdominal ultrasound</span></em></strong></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin: 0in 0in 10pt;">
<span style="font-family: "Times New Roman","serif"; font-size: 12pt; line-height: 115%;"><strong><em><span style="color: #274e13;">• An upper gastrointestinal (GI) barium series (of stomach and small intestine) to
help diagnose foreign bodies, partial obstructions, masses, thickening or
displacement of bowel, etc.</span></em></strong></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin: 0in 0in 10pt;">
<span style="font-family: "Times New Roman","serif"; font-size: 12pt; line-height: 115%;"><strong><em><span style="color: #274e13;">• Barium enema if colonic disease (large intestine) is suspected</span></em></strong></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin: 0in 0in 10pt;">
<span style="font-family: "Times New Roman","serif"; font-size: 12pt; line-height: 115%;"><strong><em><span style="color: #274e13;">• Endoscopic examination and biopsy of the stomach,
small intestine, and/or colon</span></em></strong></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin: 0in 0in 10pt;">
<span style="font-family: "Times New Roman","serif"; font-size: 12pt; line-height: 115%;"><strong><em><span style="color: #274e13;">• Serum bile acids for suspected liver disease</span></em></strong></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin: 0in 0in 10pt;">
<span style="font-family: "Times New Roman","serif"; font-size: 12pt; line-height: 115%;"><strong><em><span style="color: #274e13;">• A blood lead level test</span></em></strong></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin: 0in 0in 10pt;">
<span style="font-family: "Times New Roman","serif"; font-size: 12pt; line-height: 115%;"><strong><em><span style="color: #274e13;">• Exploratory abdominal surgery (laparotomy) if
other diagnostic tests are inconclusive, or if a disease is suspected that
requires corrective surgery</span></em></strong></span><span style="font-family: "Times New Roman","serif"; font-size: 12pt; line-height: 115%;"></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin: 0in 0in 10pt;">
<span style="font-family: "Times New Roman","serif"; font-size: 12pt; line-height: 115%;"><u><strong><em><span style="color: #274e13;">Treatment </span></em></strong></u></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin: 0in 0in 10pt;">
<span style="font-family: "Times New Roman","serif"; font-size: 12pt; line-height: 115%;"><strong><em><span style="color: #274e13;">Treatment options vary and are based on the
underlying cause. Surgery may be necessary for problems caused by intestinal
obstruction, intestinal mass, or bowel disease unreachable by other procedures.
</span></em></strong></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin: 0in 0in 10pt;">
<span style="font-family: "Times New Roman","serif"; font-size: 12pt; line-height: 115%;"><strong><em><span style="color: #274e13;">If no definitive diagnosis is possible, treatment
then focuses on dietary management and, in some cases, anti-infective
medication. Dehydration is a big risk due to water loss, therefore fluids need
to be replenished with a balanced electrolyte solution, such as saline. This type of s</span></em></strong></span><span style="font-family: "Times New Roman","serif"; font-size: 12pt; line-height: 115%;"><span style="font-family: "Times New Roman","serif"; font-size: 12pt; line-height: 115%;"><strong><em><span style="color: #274e13;">ymptomatic or empirical treatment may be tried in
some cases of chronic diarrhea, especially if initial diagnostic tests are
inconclusive and the animal is feeling well and relatively stable. Empiric
treatment does not replace the need to define the exact cause of the chronic
diarrhea, it at all possible. Empirical treatment may include one or more of
the following: </span></em></strong></span></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin: 0in 0in 10pt;">
<span style="font-family: "Times New Roman","serif"; font-size: 12pt; line-height: 115%;"><strong><em><span style="color: #274e13;">• Deworming for whipworms, which may not show up on
routine fecal tests</span></em></strong></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin: 0in 0in 10pt;">
<span style="font-family: "Times New Roman","serif"; font-size: 12pt; line-height: 115%;"><strong><em><span style="color: #274e13;">• Short course of antibiotics for clostridial
bacteria</span></em></strong></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin: 0in 0in 10pt;">
<span style="font-family: "Times New Roman","serif"; font-size: 12pt; line-height: 115%;"><strong><em><span style="color: #274e13;">• Changing the diet to a high-fiber diet if large
bowel diarrhea is present or to a hypoallergenic diet if small bowel diarrhea
is present</span></em></strong></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin: 0in 0in 10pt;">
<span style="font-family: "Times New Roman","serif"; font-size: 12pt; line-height: 115%;"><strong><em><span style="color: #274e13;">Supportive therapy for ill, malnourished and
unstable patients may involve hospitalization with intravenous fluids,
supplemental nutrition and vitamins, intestinal protectants and adsorbents,
etc.
<span style="font-family: "Times New Roman","serif"; font-size: 12pt; line-height: 115%;">Plasma transfusions and infusion of other dense
fluids may be required for animals with low protein levels.</span><span style="font-family: "Times New Roman","serif"; font-size: 12pt; line-height: 115%;"> Intestinal protectants, adsorbents, and antacids
may be administered while results of diagnostic tests are pending, etc.</span><span style="font-family: "Times New Roman","serif"; font-size: 12pt; line-height: 115%;"> Motility modifiers (medications that effect the
movement of food through the intestinal tract) may be tried in some cases.</span></span></em></strong></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin: 0in 0in 10pt;">
<span style="font-family: "Times New Roman","serif"; font-size: 12pt; line-height: 115%;"><span style="font-family: "Times New Roman","serif"; font-size: 12pt; line-height: 115%;"><strong><em><span style="color: #274e13;">Specific therapy of most cases of chronic diarrhea
depends upon reaching a definitive diagnosis as to the cause, and then
instituting therapy for that cause. Such therapy varies widely and can involve
medications, dietary changes and surgery:</span></em></strong></span></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin: 0in 0in 10pt;">
<span style="font-family: "Times New Roman","serif"; font-size: 12pt; line-height: 115%;"><strong><em><span style="color: #274e13;">• Deworming agents are required for intestinal
parasites.</span></em></strong></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin: 0in 0in 10pt;">
<span style="font-family: "Times New Roman","serif"; font-size: 12pt; line-height: 115%;"><strong><em><span style="color: #274e13;">• Products used for protozoal parasites include
sulfa drugs for coccidiosis and metronidazole for giardiasis.</span></em></strong></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin: 0in 0in 10pt;">
<span style="font-family: "Times New Roman","serif"; font-size: 12pt; line-height: 115%;"><strong><em><span style="color: #274e13;">• Antibiotics are administered for bacterial
infections, small intestinal bacterial overgrowth, and some forms of colitis.</span></em></strong></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin: 0in 0in 10pt;">
<span style="font-family: "Times New Roman","serif"; font-size: 12pt; line-height: 115%;"><strong><em><span style="color: #274e13;">• Antifungal drugs (e.g. ketoconazole, itraconazole)
are given for fungal infections and may be tried for protothecosis.</span></em></strong></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin: 0in 0in 10pt;">
<span style="font-family: "Times New Roman","serif"; font-size: 12pt; line-height: 115%;"><strong><em><span style="color: #274e13;">• Corticosteroids and dietary manipulation may be
necessary for inflammatory bowel disease, lymphangiectasia, and other
immune-mediated inflammatory disorders. </span></em></strong></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin: 0in 0in 10pt;">
<span style="font-family: "Times New Roman","serif"; font-size: 12pt; line-height: 115%;"><strong><em><span style="color: #274e13;">• Dietary manipulation is helpful in cases of
dietary intolerance, food allergy, colitis, short bowel syndrome, and irritable
bowel syndrome.</span></em></strong></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: "Times New Roman","serif"; font-size: 12pt; line-height: 115%;"><strong><em><span style="color: #274e13;">• Chemotherapy, radiation therapy or surgery may be
helpful in certain cases of cancer.</span></em></strong></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: "Times New Roman","serif"; font-size: 12pt; line-height: 115%;"><strong><em><span style="color: #274e13;">• Surgical exploratory is indicated to correct
causes of chronic obstruction, intussusception, cecal inversion, remove foreign
bodies, etc.</span></em></strong></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: "Times New Roman","serif"; font-size: 12pt; line-height: 115%;"><strong><em><span style="color: #274e13;">• Intravenous fluid therapy and specific treatments
for any liver and kidney disorders may be indicated.</span></em></strong></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: "Times New Roman","serif"; font-size: 12pt; line-height: 115%;"><strong><em><span style="color: #274e13;">• Pancreatic enzyme replacement therapy is necessary
in documented cases of exocrine pancreatic insufficiency.</span></em></strong></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: "Times New Roman","serif"; font-size: 12pt; line-height: 115%;"><strong><em><span style="color: #274e13;">• Motility modifiers (medications that effect he
movement of food through the intestinal tract) may be helpful in cases of
irritable bowel syndrome.</span></em></strong></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: "Times New Roman","serif"; font-size: 12pt; line-height: 115%;"><strong><em><span style="color: #274e13;">• Supplementation with cobalamin, folate and other
vitamins is often required in the malabsorption/maldigestion diseases.</span></em></strong></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: "Times New Roman","serif"; font-size: 12pt; line-height: 115%;"><strong><em><span style="color: #274e13;">• If lead poisoning is diagnosed antidotes may be
started either orally or by injection.</span></em></strong></span><span style="font-family: "Times New Roman","serif"; font-size: 12pt; line-height: 115%;"><o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: "Times New Roman","serif"; font-size: 12pt; line-height: 115%;"><u><strong><em><span style="color: #274e13;">Home Care</span></em></strong></u></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: "Times New Roman","serif"; font-size: 12pt; line-height: 115%;"><strong><em><span style="color: #274e13;">Keep in mind that the resolution of chronic diarrhea
is usually gradual with treatment. In a few cases, despite a correct diagnosis
and proper therapy, diarrhea may not completely resolve or may worsen,
especially in patients with cancer.</span></em></strong></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: "Times New Roman","serif"; font-size: 12pt; line-height: 115%;"><strong><em><span style="color: #274e13;">It is important to monitor your pet closely if he
has chronic diarrhea. Pay particular attention to stool volume and character,
the frequency of defecation, and any straining to defecate. Note the presence of
any blood or mucus in the stool. Also monitor the dog's body weight, appetite
and activity level.</span></em></strong></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: "Times New Roman","serif"; font-size: 12pt; line-height: 115%;"><strong><em><span style="color: #274e13;">Administer all prescribed medications exactly as
ordered by your veterinarian. Notify your veterinarian if you have any problems
medicating your pet.</span></em></strong></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: "Times New Roman","serif"; font-size: 12pt; line-height: 115%;"><strong><em><span style="color: #274e13;">Repeated follow-up examinations, fecal tests and
blood tests may be needed to bring the chronic diarrhea under control and
prevent it from returning.
</span></em></strong></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: "Times New Roman","serif"; font-size: 12pt; line-height: 115%;"><strong><em><span style="color: #274e13;">If your dog does not respond to the treatment be sure to bring
it back to the vet to be re-evaluated. Many of the parasitic and bacterial
infections that cause diarrhea in dogs can also affect humans, so be very
careful when handling a dog suffering from diarrhea.</span></em></strong></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: "Times New Roman","serif"; font-size: 12pt; line-height: 115%;"><strong><em><span style="color: #274e13;">Depending on the diagnosis of the cause of your pet's chronic diarrhea, your veterinarian might need to talk with you concerning measures to be taken to insure that this does not happen again.</span></em></strong></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: "Times New Roman","serif"; font-size: 12pt; line-height: 115%;">Adapted from:
</span></div>
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<a href="http://www.petplace.com/dogs/chronic-diarrhea-in-dogs/page1.aspx"><span style="font-family: "Times New Roman","serif"; font-size: 12pt; line-height: 115%;"><span style="color: blue;">http://www.petplace.com/dogs/chronic-diarrhea-in-dogs/page1.aspx</span></span></a><span style="font-family: "Times New Roman","serif"; font-size: 12pt; line-height: 115%;">
</span></div>
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<a href="http://www.petmd.com/dog/conditions/digestive/c_dg_diarrhea_chronic"><span style="font-family: "Times New Roman","serif"; font-size: 12pt; line-height: 115%;"><span style="color: blue;">http://www.petmd.com/dog/conditions/digestive/c_dg_diarrhea_chronic</span></span></a></div>
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<span style="font-family: "Times New Roman","serif"; font-size: 12pt; line-height: 115%;"><a href="http://www.petmd.com/cat/conditions/digestive/c_ct_diarrhea_chronic"><span style="color: blue;">http://www.petmd.com/cat/conditions/digestive/c_ct_diarrhea_chronic</span></a>
</span><br />
<br />
As always, send questions or comments to: <a href="mailto:dogcatvethelp@gmail.com">dogcatvethelp@gmail.com</a> or submit them at the Comment section at the end of this issue.</div>
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<span style="font-family: "Times New Roman","serif"; line-height: 115%;"><span style="font-size: x-large;"><strong>SPORTS NEWS</strong></span></span></div>
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhi0OcdB9e-HG-uI6B9zZW7dW_nY6r72L80Q5G_DnxMQ059qOLf4CinkzK95WpTolNffZRt0FyqoK5sDZpnRzBxL547O77jYGuZiYDjbtG0N-_xTZMsSC8-NMq178OMrlGkZqAp0DM4ODc/s1600/sports+balls.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhi0OcdB9e-HG-uI6B9zZW7dW_nY6r72L80Q5G_DnxMQ059qOLf4CinkzK95WpTolNffZRt0FyqoK5sDZpnRzBxL547O77jYGuZiYDjbtG0N-_xTZMsSC8-NMq178OMrlGkZqAp0DM4ODc/s1600/sports+balls.jpg" /></a>The <strong><span style="background-color: #cccccc; color: #990000;">Ohio State Buckeyes</span></strong> went to Wisconsin on Saturday, a place where most visiting teams have difficulty winning. The Buckeyes won the game in over-time to go to 11-0 on the year. This sets up the Michigan game this coming Saturday to be the finale in a potentially undefeated season. Helpful Buckeye was not able to watch the main part of the game due to being in the 60-mile portion of the Tour de Tucson; however, I did wear my OSU biking shirt and got back to the hotel room in time to watch the over-time. So, yes, I was "helpful"....</div>
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The <strong><span style="background-color: #f1c232;">Pittsburgh Steelers</span></strong> hosted the Baltimore Ravens Sunday night...our most despised rival, but also a very good team. Even with Big Ben at QB, the game would have been a tough one to win; but, since Ben couldn't play, our back-up QB gave his best effort...but it wasn't good enough. We lost by 3 points. </div>
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<span style="font-family: "Times New Roman","serif"; line-height: 115%;"><strong><span style="font-size: x-large;">PERSONAL STUFF</span></strong></span><br />
<br />
Desperado and Helpful Buckeye went to Tucson for a 4-day weekend so that Helpful Buckeye could ride in the Tour de Tucson...a bike race that was celebrating its 30th year. Tucson has been named as the #1 city in the USA for bicycling by <strong><em>Outdoors</em></strong> magazine and Helpful Buckeye and Desperado were very impressed with the city's efforts on this race. The pre-race festivities on Friday, the race itself on Saturday, and the post-race celebrations were outstanding fun for all involved. I thought the race was one of the greatest experiences I've ever had...at least in my athletic endeavors. My ground crew (Desperado) was top-notch and had a lot of fun in her own right. I'll have some of the important stats and pictures from the race in next week's issue (after the official results are publicized).<br />
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<em><span style="color: black;">~~The goal of this blog is to
provide general information and advice to help you be a better pet owner and to
have a more rewarding relationship with your pet. This blog does not intend to
replace the professional one-on-one care your pet receives from a practicing
veterinarian. When in doubt about your pet's health, always visit a
veterinarian.~~<o:p></o:p></span></em></div>
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