The Pet Tree House - Where Pets Are Family Too : November 2018 The Pet Tree House - Where Pets Are Family Too : November 2018

Tuesday, November 27, 2018

Gigantic Cow Called ‘Knickers’ Weighs More Than a Car, Is as Tall as Michael Jordan


A gigantic steer that some consider the largest in Australia has become a viral sensation.

The cow is named “Knickers” and stands at 76 inches at the shoulder, towering over other cows, its owner said, adding that the cow almost as tall as Michael Jordan. It weighs about 3,086 pounds and lives on a farm in Myalup, located 85 miles south of Perth, Australia.

Knickers is a Holstein-Friesian, a dairy breed known for being quite tall, according to an industry website about the animals. “Holsteins are most quickly recognized by their distinctive color markings and outstanding milk production. Holsteins are large cattle with color patterns of black and white or red and white,” it says.

On average, Holsteins weigh about 1,500 pounds and are 58 inches tall at the shoulder.

Geoff Pearson, the owner, said he tried to auction Knickers in October, but meat processors said they couldn’t handle the size.

“Knickers lives on,” Pearson told the BBC.

To read more on this story, click here: Gigantic Cow Called ‘Knickers’ Weighs More Than a Car, Is as Tall as Michael Jordan

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Sunday, November 25, 2018

Horse Rescued From Northern Colorado Feedlot Turns Out To Be Descendant Of Triple Crown Winner


FORT COLLINS — His name was Champ, but he was no champion.

Severely underweight and riddled with ulcers, the brown horse had been rescued from a Northern Colorado feedlot when Kassidy Webber first met him in 2014.

Then a high school sophomore living in Arvada, Webber responded to an ad for Champ at a Colorado horse rescue. The first time she saw him, three months after he had been rescued, she knew immediately that he was the horse for her — it was in his eyes.

“That’s what I tell everyone when they ask me (why him),” Webber said. “Everything about him was pretty rough looking, but he had a really kind eye. It’s just in his face.”

Taking a chance, she purchased him for an insanely cheap $750 and took him home. Fittingly enough, she renamed him Chance.

She spent the following year restoring Chance’s health and trust. Slowly, he gained weight and got used to being cared for and doted on. Over the years, Webber always wondered about Chance’s backstory and lineage. Like all former race horses, he had an ID number tattoo on the inner side of his inner lip, but it was too worn to read or track.

To read more on this story, click here: Horse Rescued From Northern Colorado Feedlot Turns Out To Be Descendant Of Triple Crown Winner FOLLOW US!
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The Evil Giraffe Hunter Who Went Viral Isn't Sorry At All After Massive Social Media Backlash


A few weeks ago, news of a rare black giraffe that was shot and killed by a trophy hunter went viral after images of the slain animal were posted on social media. The hunter was identified as Tess Thompson Talley, a 37-year-old American woman who has achieved a level of notoriety on the internet for killing wild animals.

"Prayers for my once in a lifetime dream hunt came true today! Spotted this rare black giraffe bull and stalked him for quite awhile," Talley wrote in a Facebook post, which was later shared by an organisation called Africa Digest.

Though she later deleted the post, along with the pictures, they had already been shared by hundreds of people, and Talley has been receiving a huge amount of backlash as a result. However, despite all the criticism she's receiving, the hunter says she has no regrets about killing the giraffe - nor any other animal, for that matter.

"It is something I believe in," Talley told the Daily Mail. "This is more than a hobby for me, it's a passion."

The Texas-based hunter, who has garnered media attention a few times before on account of her controversial hobby, also tried to argue that she didn't do anything wrong by shooting the animal, and - much to the contrary - was actually helping the giraffe population, as well as the local community.

To read more on this story, click here: The Evil Giraffe Hunter Who Went Viral Isn't Sorry At All After Massive Social Media Backlash


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Saturday, November 24, 2018

Pet Peacock Runs Away From Home And Takes Up With Wild Turkeys


A Vermont couple says that their peacock has been on the loose for six weeks, and has apparently started hanging out with a flock of wild turkeys.

The case of the fugitive bird went viral earlier this week, when the Vermont Fish and Wildlife Department shared an email on its Facebook page that it had received from one of the peacock’s distraught owners.

“My peacock has run off with the turkeys,” the email read. “Do you have any suggestions on how to catch the little twerp?? I do not believe they can breed……concerned. I know where he is most days. Any information would be appreciated!”

Local news station WCAX 3 tracked down the owners, Rene and Brian Johnson of Springfield, and got the full story. The couple believes that the peacock ― who goes by Pea, Forest or Walter ― took up with the turkeys because he was lonely after his companion, a sibling peacock, died.

To read more on this story, click here: Pet Peacock Runs Away From Home And Takes Up With Wild Turkeys


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Does Your Puppy Have Swimming Puppy Syndrome?


Does your puppy have swimming puppy syndrome? Do you know the signs? Swimmer puppies are puppies that cannot walk and stand upright. Instead, they paddle their legs like a turtle.

Meet Harper, she was rescued by Erica Daniel, 26, who fosters dogs that need serious help. On Aug. 31, a woman in Sanford, Fla., first encountered the little dog when she spotted it squirming garbage bag.

“There was a man outside of a store selling pit-bull puppies for $50,” Daniel explained. “This woman approached him and noticed a noise coming from a garbage bag he was holding. She asked him, ‘What’s in the bag?” He wouldn’t answer her, so pressed the issue and the man opened the bag and gave her the puppy. Harper, was so deformed that she could not walk or hold up her head. Veterinarians advised that the puppy should be euthanized.

Daniel, a regular at the local animal shelter, decided to take the puppy home for one full and final day of affection. “I had to show her what it was like to be loved,” Daniel said. “I’d planned on taking her home that night, letting her sleep in bed with us, and having her humanely euthanized in the morning.”

The puppy had been born with a condition commonly called “swimmer puppy disorder,” and most dogs afflicted with it don’t survive. The formal name of Harper’s disorder, pectus excavatum, causes puppies to lie flat on their chests with their legs perpetually splayed out, as if they were humans or frogs swimming through water.

Daniel kept massaging Harper’s tight muscles, hoping to alleviate at least some of her stiffness and pain. Within just a few hours, Harper started lifting her head and looking around. Her front legs became more limber as well, so much so that she tried using them to walk and pull herself around.

Symptoms of Swimming Puppy Syndrome

If you notice a puppy that is always on its belly or beginning to show signs of a flat chest. Lay mom down and put this pup on a good nipple. Turn it on its side, holding its entire body and making sure it stays on its side. If the pup lets loose start over. Do this several times a day until the pup returns to normal and lays on its side; when that happens you have just cured swimmer puppy syndrome. There's no way to prevent Swimming Puppy Syndrome.



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Tuesday, November 20, 2018

Two South Dakota Turkeys Get Pampered Before Trump's Turkey Pardon


South Dakota's most famous turkeys will strut their stuff on the national stage Tuesday as they receive clemency by President Donald Trump in the 2018 Turkey Pardon. 

Peas and Carrots, both weighing about 40 pounds, stood out from the flock and were raised specifically for this moment — being treated almost as well as any human. 

The "presidential flock" was presented to the public for the first time Nov. 14 during their press tour around their hometown of Huron. South Dakota's stars traveled to Washington D.C. on Saturday in the back of an SUV. 

More: With turkey pardon, Trump spares Drumstick and Wishbone from Thanksgiving dinner

Jeff Sveen, chairman of the National Turkey Federation and Chairman of the Board of Dakota Provisions, is in charge of Peas and Carrots as they meet the public and national media this week. He joked that the VIP turkeys enjoyed a more comfortable road trip than their drivers.

To read more on this story, click here: Two South Dakota Turkeys Get Pampered Before Trump's Turkey Pardon

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Six Reasons Why You Should Not Swim with Wild Spinner Dolphins


Would you swim with wild spinner dolphins if you knew that they were trying to sleep?

Swimmers and boats that come to visit wild spinner dolphins close to shore during the day could be disturbing their rest and potentially harming them. Wild spinner dolphins feed off-shore at night and return to sheltered bays and coastlines during the day to rest, socialize, tend to their young, and avoid predators. Any energy used towards responding to human activity--even if they appear to just be curious and enjoy the interaction--is energy not being used for these behaviors that are critical for survival. When their rest is interrupted, especially if it happens many times in a day, it can affect their health and well-being.

Swimming with resting spinner dolphins may constitute "harassment" under the Marine Mammal Protection Act. Any act of pursuit, torment, or annoyance that has the potential to disrupt a marine mammal's behavior is "harassment" under this Act and is, therefore, against the law.

To read more on this story, click here: Six Reasons Why You Should Not Swim with Wild Spinner Dolphins

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Saturday, November 17, 2018

War Horse, Sergeant Reckless, Statue Dedicated at Marine Corps Museum


A plaque and photo were dedicated in her honor at the Marine Corps Base Camp Pendleton stables and a statue of her was dedicated on July 26, 2013 at the National Museum of the Marine Corps in Quantico, Virginia.

The war horse, “Sergeant Reckless,” was used by U.S. Marines fighting in the conflict to carry ammunition to the front lines of battle. The horse also carried wounded Marines from the front lines to safety — a task the horse did on her own even after being wounded.

 “Reckless” was eventually brought to the U.S. to live out the remainder of her life following the end of the war.

          Staff Sergeant Reckless, the greatest war hero horse in U.S. history, according to Marines.



Sgt. Harold Wadley USMC spoke of serving with "Reckless" at the dedication ceremony held at the National Museum of the Marine Corps.




Commandant of the Marine Corps General James F. Amos and sculptor Jocelyn Russell talk at the unveiling of her bronze statue of "Reckless".



Commandant of the Marine Corps General James F. Amos, Robin L. Hutton, Mike Mason, and Sergeant Major of the Marine Corps Michael P. Barrett.









Hundreds of visitors gathered at the National Museum of the Marine Corps for the unveiling of the bronze statue of "Staff Sargent Reckless" the greatest war hero horse in American history.



Hundreds of visitors gathered at the National Museum of the Marine Corps for the unveiling of the bronze statue of "Staff Sergeant Reckless."




                  Artist Jocelyn Russell bids a final farewell to her creation of Reckless, a bronze statue.


Take a look at videos of Sgt. Reckless below:






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Former Vice President Joe Biden, And His Wife, Dr. Jill Biden, Adopted A 10-Month-Old German Shepherd From The Delaware Humane Association


Former Vice President, Joe Biden, and his wife Dr. Jill Biden, adopted a 10-month-old German Shepherd from the Delaware Humane Association (DHA) on Saturday, after fostering him for several months. The pup’s name is Major.

DHA posted about the lucky dog on their Facebook page  as the Bidens took him to his new “forever home.”

“Today is Major’s lucky day! Not only did Major find his forever home, but he got adopted by Vice President Joe Biden & Dr. Jill Biden!” the post said. “The Bidens have gotten to know Major while fostering him and are now ready to make the adoption official. Best of luck and thank you for being one of our Friends for life!”

According to DHA, Major is from a litter of German Shepherd pups that were given up for adoption and are currently “not doing well at all.”

“Once we posted about them… Joe Biden caught wind of them and reached out immediately. The rest is history!” DHA said.

The Bidens are proud owners of another German Shepherd named Champ.

In a statement, the Bidens thanked the shelter for their help finding dogs permanent homes.

“We are so happy to welcome Major to the Biden family, and we are grateful to the Delaware Humane Association for their work in finding forever homes for Major and countless other animals,” the statement read.




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Friday, November 16, 2018

Did You Know that Apes Get Mid-Life Crisis?


Across many cultures, people report a dip in happiness during their late-40s, a time when they generally feel less satisfied with their lives than they do in their younger and older years.

Apes, too, experience a kind of midlife crisis, found a new study. The surprising result suggests that the middle-aged blues may be a result of biology, not culture, and its evolutionary roots run deep.

"It was an astounding thing for us to find this pattern, to be honest," said Andrew Oswald, an economist and behavioral scientist at the University of Warwick in the United Kingdom. "It may be that the midlife crisis is driven by primate biology in a way we don 't understand, and if that 's the case, we all have to learn how to deal with it."

"I think it 's helpful for people to understand this dip," he added. "With luck, this could people them see that this is completely normal and that could help them get through it."

Studies in more than 50 countries over the past 20 years have revealed a near-universal pattern. Over the course of life, happiness tends to follow a U-shaped curve, with people ranking their sense of well-being higher in the first and last decades of life than in the middle.

The low point generally strikes between age 45 and 50 for both men and women, and the pattern crosses economic and demographic lines.

For each animal, zookeepers, researchers or caretakers answered four questions about the well-being of their primate friends, including whether the apes seemed to be in good or bad moods. The humans also ranked how happy they thought they 'd be if they were to become the animal for a week. They had spent time with the animals for at least two years and knew them well.

Apes live to be about 50 or 55 years old and, just like in people, results showed a drop in happiness that reached its lowest point about halfway through the animals ' lives, the researchers report today in the journal Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences.

The magnitude of the dip was on par with the dips in happiness that people experience in their middle age, Oswald said. He compared the difference between the apes ' highs and lows to the loss in well-being that people report with marital separation.

The new findings help rule out some theories for midlife slumps in humans, said Arthur Stone, a psychologist in the psychiatry department at Stony Brook University in New York. For example, a whole generation of people can end up feeling less happy at a certain time in their lives simply because of some external historical situation. But that is unlikely to happen in societies of apes.

Instead, it might be chemical or physical changes in our bodies that influence how our feelings morph throughout our lifetimes.

"What this really starts to point to is that maybe there are biological things that we just don 't know about," Stone said. "Maybe there are changes in the brain, changes in how neurotransmitters work or changes in how hormones work that relate to how people view their lives and how animals feel. People will be looking at this more seriously, I think."

Apes Giggle Like Humans





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Why Is My Dog's Third Eyelid Showing?


Also known as the nictitating membrane or haw, the dog's third eyelid is something most owners aren't aware of until they see it for the first time.

All dogs have this membrane found in the inner corner of the eye but it is typically noticed only when it is drawn horizontally across part of the eye. Its color varies depending on the dog's breed and can range from clear to cloudy.

Also known as the nictitating membrane or haw, the dog's third eyelid is something most owners aren't aware of until they see it for the first time.

All dogs have this membrane found in the inner corner of the eye but it is typically noticed only when it is drawn horizontally across part of the eye. Its color varies depending on the dog's breed and can range from clear to cloudy.

What Does the Third Eyelid Do?
Deborah S. Friedman, D.V.M. and diplomate with the American College of Veterinary Ophthalmologists has several explanations.

The third eyelid acts as the dog's "windshield-wiper" for the cornea, effectively removing debris or mucus off of it.

This membrane is responsible for producing about one-third of the dog's tears, since it has one of the most important tear glands attached at its base, and its lymphoid tissue acts like a lymph node producing antibodies to fight off infections.

It also helps prevent injuries to the dog's cornea.

In dogs and cats, this membrane is not normally visible other than when the animal is sleeping or suddenly awakens from sleep. Indeed, if you lift the eyelid of a sleeping dog you'll likely see the whole eye covered by the third eyelid.

The dog in my pictures awakened suddenly after resting on my legs, and once she was fully awake, her third eyelid re-positioned normally.

However, the prolonged presence of the third eyelid, even when the dog is bright and alert, often denotes some sort of medical problem.

In the next paragraphs, we will see some common and not-so-common medical issues associated with the abnormal appearance of the dog's third eyelid.

To read more this story, click here: Why Is My Dog's Third Eyelid Showing?

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Why Does My Cat Pee on My Bed?


Inappropriate Urination
Cats typically want to urinate in their litter boxes! Naturally, a cat wants to bury its excrement so that predators cannot find it (or them!). It's instinctual and it makes the cat feel safe.

If a cat urinates inappropriately, especially in its owner's bed, there has to be a problem. The main culprits usually involve:

Medical conditions such as Urinary Tract Infection (UTI) or kidney infection
Stress or anxiety
Problems with the litter box itself

Medical Concerns: Consider These First!
The first issue to consider if a cat has begun to urinate inappropriately and/or on the bed, is the possibility of illness or injury. Cats usually want to use their litter boxes and feel most comfortable using them, so it is not a good sign if a cat stops using theirs.

A complete check-up with a veterinarian is the best first step. Oftentimes a cat with a urinary tract infection (UTI) or kidney infection will urinate while sleeping, and our beds are a common place for cats to sleep.

Elderly cats may have difficulty getting in and out of the litter box, and may need some adjustments to help with this.

Medical issues can be complicated, so it is best to check for these first in order to be sure that the problem is not a physical one.

To read more on this story, click here: Why Does My Cat Pee on My Bed?

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10 Reasons Why Dogs Howl


Are you curious to know why dog howl and why they howl mostly at nights? Actually, dogs howl is their natural mode of communication. Also, there are some other reasons, about dog howl, but the most accepted belief is, "dogs are successor of wolves and they carry a couple of wolves’ characters and howling is one of them". There are some other concepts also, regarding dog howls like,

1. Vocal Communication
Wolf howl in the wild is their natural way of vocal communication. They howl to send a message to their separated pack members to inform about their presence and current location. This method helps them to find each other. And the dogs had inherited this behavior from their ancestors. Though this way of communication can be the one reason, but there are a couple of other reasons also when a dog can trigger howl.

To read more on this story, click here: 10 Reasons Why Dogs Howl


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November is National Adopt a Senior Month: Donatello Has A Message For You


November is National Adopt a Senior Month. Donatello has a message...please adopt or foster a senior dog or cat. Let’s save more lives together. Donatello would like you all to follow him on FB & Instagram:

https://www.facebook.com/donatellothedog/

https://instagram.com/donatellos world



                       (Click twice on arrow to start video)


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The Two-Headed Baby Eastern Copperhead That Was Found in Woodbridge in Early September Has Died


A two-headed snake that wowed biologists and residents when it was found in a Northern Virginia yard in September has died, The Washington Post reports. 

The two-headed baby Eastern Copperhead was found in Woodbridge in early September, the Wildlife Center of Virginia said. According to The Post, JD Kleopfer, the state’s herpetologist, announced the reptile's death early this week.

The snake had two tracheas, with the left one more developed, and two esophagi, with the right one more developed. The snake also had a single heart and one set of lungs.

When the snake was discovered, Kleopfer said the find was extremely rare because "they just don't live that long."

You may be interested in reading: A Young Two-Headed Eastern Copperhead Was Found in Northern Virginia


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Thursday, November 15, 2018

Photos: Pets, Owners Reunited Following Deadly and Destructive Camp Fire


The Camp Fire, the most deadly and destructive wildfire in California history, has destroyed hundreds of homes, put thousands of lives at risk and separated pets from their owners.

People have been using social media to look for and share images of their lost animals in hopes of finding them, and it's working. 

Lost animals following Camp Fire

To take a look at the animals, click here: Photos: Pets, Owners Reunited Following Deadly and Destructive Camp Fire




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Was Marina Chapman Really Brought Up By Monkeys?


Is Marina Chapman a survivor or a fantasist? We meet the Bradford woman who claims she was raised in the jungle by monkeys – and who still enjoys nothing more than grooming her family

Marina Chapman says she isn't as mobile as she once was. It's not so easy to climb trees these days, let alone swing from them. Well, she is about 60 or 62 years old – maybe older. She's not sure. Chapman is tiny, sinewy, bendy. At times she doesn't look quite human – a bit simian, a bit feline and quite beautiful.

Perhaps it's not surprising that Marina Chapman seems different from the rest of us. In her formative years, she says, she grew up with monkeys. Only monkeys. For around five years (again, she's unsure – there is no reliable means of measuring) she says she lived deep in the Colombian jungle with no human company. She remembers learning to fend for herself – eating berries and roots, nabbing bananas dropped by the monkeys, sleeping in holes in trees and walking on all fours. By the time she was rescued by hunters, she says, she had lost her language completely. And that's when life really got tough. She claims she was sold into a brothel in the city of Cúcuta, lived as a street urchin and was enslaved by a mafia family, before being saved by a neighbour and eventually moving to Bradford, Yorkshire. Which is where we find her today.

To read more on this story, click here: Was Marina Chapman Really Brought Up By Monkeys?



You may be interested in reading: Woman Says She Was Raised by Monkeys - Daughter Helps Share Her Incredible Story.

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Tips on Sharing the Thanksgiving Holiday with Your Dog


As the Thanksgiving holiday approaches many of you are wondering if you can give your dog turkey ...Yes, you can!  The American Society for the Prevention of Cruelty to Animals (ASPCA) says, offering your dog a small piece of boneless, thoroughly cooked turkey, plain mashed potatoes and a smidge of pumpkin pie are not likely to be harmful treats for your dog. Just be sure to avoid giving foods with large amounts of onion or garlic, or any treats sweetened with xylitol, a sweetener that can lower the blood sugar of dogs.

When placing the meat in your dog's bowl, be sure to remove all pieces of bone, and the skin! Just like chicken bones, turkey bones splinter and can cause blockage or perforation of the intestine. Rich, fatty foods such as turkey skin and dark turkey meat are difficult to digest and can cause vomiting and diarrhea in your dog, and in extreme cases, pancreatitis. Dogs and turkey bones aren't a good combination.

Your dog may become agitated with strangers in your home

If you plan on serving Thanksgiving dinner in your home, it’s probably a good idea to give your dog a special chew toy and put him in a secure room. With so many people coming into and out of your house, your dog may become agitated. Dogs don’t like changes in their routine and may not find mingling with strangers to be enjoyable. There’s also a higher risk of your dog escaping to the outside when there’s so much confusion.

Tips:

1. Try to keep all foods pushed toward the back of the counter, prepared and uncooked.

2. Feed your dog in their dog bowl.

3. Keep trash cans either secured with a tight fitting lid, or under a cabinet.

4. Caution your guest on arrival about giving turkey and other table foods to your dog.

5. Once the meal is over, place turkey bones in the garbage and remove the garbage bag from the room. It should immediately be placed in a garbage bin where it can't be accessed by your dog.

6. If you have guests coming into the home around the holidays this poses many dangers to pets.  A child who does not know how to properly interact with your dog may end up the victim of a dog bite incident.

7. As guests enter and exit your home for Thanksgiving dinner this provides an opportunity for your dog to escape.

8. If you think someone gave your dog too much turkey or table food, contact your vet immediately. The same is true if your dog got into the trash and ate something he shouldn't have.

Since most vet offices are closed on holidays including Thanksgiving, you should have an emergency contact number on hand. Most likely, this will be the nearest Pet Emergency Center.

                                              Happy Thanksgiving from The Pet Tree House! FOLLOW US!
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Tips on Sharing the Thanksgiving Holiday with Your Cat


As the Thanksgiving Holiday approaches many of you are  wondering if you can give your cat turkey….Yes, you can!  The American Society for the Prevention of Cruelty to Animals (ASPCA) says, offering  your cat little nibbles of a small piece of boneless, thoroughly cooked turkey. Don’t give your cat any thing sweetened with xylitol, While xylitol is toxic and even potentially fatal when ingested by dogs, its effects on cats is unknown.

If you decide to feed your pet a little nibble of turkey, make sure it’s boneless and well-cooked. Don't offer them raw or undercooked turkey, which may contain salmonella  bacteria.

Tips:

1. Do not leave food crumbs on plates and make sure all food items are sealed in containers with lids.

2. Also place candles where cats cannot knock them over. Never leave a cat unattended in a room with lit candles. He will gravitate to them like moths to a porch light.

3. Keep stoves and countertops off-limits to cats. Electric stovetops can be very hot without changing color, and present a serious burn hazard to curious noses and tender feet.

4. You may be tempted to put your cats in the garage to keep them out of the way when your Thanksgiving visitors arrive. This is not a good idea for several reasons. Anti-freeze is both attractive and deadly to cats. Anti-freeze and caustic chemicals stored in the garage spell certain disaster if a cat comes in contact with them. Although it may seem like an attractive idea to keep a normally indoor-outdoor cat in the garage over the winter, please keep them in the house. If you need to keep your indoor-only cats away from the festivities, consider a Safe Room.

5. Keep trash cans either secured with a tight fitting lid, or under a cabinet. Caution your guest on arrival about giving turkey and other table foods to your cat.

6. Once the meal is over, place turkey bones in the garbage and remove the garbage bag from the room. It should immediately be placed in a garbage bin where it can't be accessed by your cat.

7. If you have guests coming into the home around the holidays this poses many dangers to pets.  A child who does not know how to properly interact with your cat, may end up getting scratched.

8. Sage (Salvia species) is considered to be edible in small amounts. However, it and many other herbs contain essential oils and resins that can cause gastrointestinal upset and even central nervous system depression if eaten in large quantities.

9. Cats are sensitive to the effects of essential oils. Keep your cat away from the sage, if  you are cooking with this while preparing your Thanksgiving dinner.

10. As guests enter and exit your home for Thanksgiving dinner this provides an opportunity for your cat to escape. Your cat may become agitated with strangers in your home. To your pet the holidays are a confusing mix of noise, people, strange sights, sounds and smells. Make sure your cat or dog has his own space, either a crate or a separate room, to retreat to when it all becomes overwhelming. You and your pet will be happier for it.

11. If you think someone gave your cat too much turkey or table food, contact your vet immediately. The same is true if your cat got into the trash and ate something he shouldn't have.

Since most vet offices are closed on holidays including Thanksgiving, you should have an emergency contact number on hand. Most likely, this will be the nearest Pet Emergency Center.
                            Happy Thanksgiving from The Pet Tree House! FOLLOW US!
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Fleas - On You and Your Pet


Warm, wet weather is prime weather for fleas. During late spring and all through summer, most regions experience outbreaks of fleas. However, fleas do not care about the calendar. As long as the area is warm enough (about 60 degrees or warmer) for them to breed, and the adult fleas have a blood meal, they will breed. As long as larvae have sufficient humidity to hatch (50 percent at least), they will hatch.

Because of climate-controlled homes, fleas easily breed inside all yearlong if homeowners don't eliminate fleas, flea eggs and flea larvae.

Fleas are pests that can take over a house, infest a pet's fur and administer bites that result in severe itching.


The American Society for the Prevention of Cruelty to Animals (ASPCA) says, Fleas are the most common external parasite to plague companion animals. They are wingless insects that feed on blood, can jump up to two feet high and make a very comfortable home in your pet’s fur. They can live for as few as 13 days or as long as 12 months—and during that time, can produce millions of offspring. Though there are many species of fleas, the one that most often affects both dogs and cats in North America is the cat flea, Ctenocephalides felis.

Fleas on Humans
There are over 200 different types of fleas in America. The most common type of fleas to affect humans is the cat flea or xenopsylla cheopis . The cat flea will happily feed on cats, dogs or humans. Flea bites on humans are often found on the ankles in groups of three.

You can treat the flea bites on your body, but in order to stop the cycle of the fleas, you need to also treat your home and any infected pets to stop the life cycle of this flea in your home.





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Woman Says She Was Raised by Monkeys - Daughter Helps Share Her Incredible Story


When Vanessa James was a little girl, her mother would tell her bedtime stories of growing up like Tarzan in the jungle raised by a colony of monkeys.

As James got older, she learned those accounts were not fantasy but part of her mother's unbelievable history.

Between the ages of four and ten, Marina Chapman's family consisted of 20 or so Capuchin monkeys, native to the jungles of South America. Her memory of how it all started is hazy-she remembers sorting peas in her village when in an instant a hand covered her mouth and she awoke in the jungle.

"All she can remember is being chloroformed with a hand over her mouth," James, told London's Sunday Times this past week. "It's assumed that the kidnap went wrong,"

Two days after fending for herself, she was approached by a colony of monkeys who taught her by example to forage, feed, and survive as one of their own.


"Acting entirely on instinct, she tried to do what they did: she ate what they ate and copied their actions, and, little by little, learned to fend for herself," according to a press release for the Marina's memoir, The Girl With No Name, to be released in 2013 by Pegasus Books.

Why some people adopt monkeys, dolls as a children

As Chapman adapted to jungle life, she lost any language she had learned in her early years, and instead developed an inhuman ability to scale trees and to communicate with creatures native to the forest. After more than five years, she was discovered by hunters who sold her into slavery in exchange for a parrot.

How to help victims of child trafficking 

A year later she escaped, narrowly avoiding a life of prostitution. She then lived off the streets in Colombia, relying on her stealth knowledge gleaned, in part, from her education in the jungle. In her 20's while working as a household staff for a Colombian family, she was brought on a trip to Bradford, England. There she met her future husband at a church, a bacteriologist named John Chapman, and she never left. Together they raised two children. She worked as a cook, and later in social services helping at-risk youth.

Over the past five years, her daughter Vanessa, now a 23-year-old film composer, has been devoted to transcribing her mother's memory, matching the nuts and berries, and wildlife in Chapman's jungle recollections, with those native to the area she was abandoned in. Recently, mother and daughter traveled back to Colombia to find Chapman's long-lost family, reconnecting with some surrogates who took her in in her teens. She even tried re-entering the jungle before being stopped by military officials.

There have only been a handful of modern-day accounts of feral children surviving this unique upbringing and ultimately assimilating back into human life. In 1999, a young boy was rescued in the Uganda jungle after being raised by monkeys. It took him eight years to learn to speak again.

Today, Chapman is in her mid-50s, though she has no document proving her exact age. Her English writing is weak and her daughter provided much of the translations for Barrett-Lee's formulation into memoir. According to James, the most glaring sign of her mother's past is the fact that she rarely, if ever, cries. "I guess it's an emotional effect of her earlier life," said Vanessa in her interview with Times.

Chapman's memoir, The Girl Without a Name, authored by both mother and daughter, as well as Barrett-Lee, was purchased by publishers in the U.K., Holland, Australia and Italy this past February. It's slated for release in the U.S. by Pegasus books sometime in April of 2013.

Vanessa and her mother both declined an interview with Yahoo! Shine, opting instead to wait for the book's publication. It's unlikely interest will subside six months from now. For Marina, the chance to tell her story is second only to the opportunity to help young victims of kidnapping. She plans to donate a portion of the proceeds of her book to charities to combat child trafficking and slavery in Colombia.

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Wednesday, November 14, 2018

Goldfish Survive 4 Months After New Zealand Earthquake


Two goldfish were found alive in their tank in a building that was badly damaged by the earthquake that struck New Zealand.

The two goldfish, named Shaggy and Daphne, have become the smallest survivors of the earthquake in February.  The earthquake killed 181 people in Christchurch.

There were originally six goldfish in the tank when the quake struck. When the survivors were found, there was no trace of three others. A fourth was found dead. There is the question of their missing companions. Goldfish are omnivores.

The fish spent four and a half months, trapped in their tank in a downtown area of the city, that was off-limits. There was no food, or electricity to power their tank filter. They were discovered by workers, and rescued.

The fish survived from eating algae growing on the tank’s rocks and walls. Fish can go without food for a while because they are cold blooded, and unlike mammals don't burn up food to keep warm.



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