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Sunday, March 18, 2018

Starving Horses Ate Aluminum Siding Off House, Sheriff Says as Crews Clean Up Bodies in Maryland


QUANTICO, Md. — With a brisk wind blowing under gray skies, Wicomico County Sheriff Mike Lewis stood in front of a farm trying to describe what he had just seen behind the house. 

"The siding — aluminum siding — was eaten off the house, and fiberglass insulation had been pulled out," said a visibly shaken Lewis on Saturday. "Those horses were so hungry, they had broken the glass sliding doors on the back of the house, trying to get in and find something to eat. There's mud and broken glass all around the back of the house."

More than two dozen dead horses in varying degrees of decay were discovered at the farm and reported to the sheriff's office Friday morning, which is when an investigation at the 2.13-acre property began. The land is owned by Clayton P. and Barbara L. Pilchard, according to Maryland property records.

Marjie Cancil, who lives near the farm, drove past Saturday afternoon and stopped to see what was happening.

To read more on this story, click here: Starving Horses Ate Aluminum Siding Off House, Sheriff Says as Crews Clean Up Bodies in Maryland

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Sunday, March 11, 2018

Your Dog’s Nose: Do You Know The Difference Between a Cold, Wet Nose and a Dry, Warm Nose


You might have heard that feeling a dog's nose can tell you about his health. Can a dog's health really be determined by the temperature and moisture of the nose? Does a cold and wet nose mean a dog is healthy? Is a warm and dry nose a sign of illness?

Here's the truth: The temperature or moisture of a dog's nose is not necessarily a good indicator of anything. A healthy dog may have a warm or dry nose while a sick dog could still have a cold, wet nose.

Your Dog's Nose
Dogs keep their noses cold and wet by licking. The moisture on the nose helps intensify scents and give dogs the ability to determine which directions smells are coming from.

It is normal for a dog that has just woken up to have a dry nose. This is simply because the dog was not licking his nose in his sleep.

Sometimes, a dog's dry or warm nose will accompany other signs of illness, such as lethargy, vomiting, diarrhea and more. These symptoms are reason enough to call your vet, regardless of how your dog's nose feels.

Why Do People Think The Dog's Nose Matters?
The "dog nose" myth has been around for ages, sometimes putting dog owners in a panic. How did it begin? Like many myths, the origin of this one is not certain. However, some experts think it may have started at a time when the deadly virus called canine distemper was common. One symptom of advanced distemper is hyperkeratosis (thickening) of the nose and footpads.

Back when distemper was more widespread, a cool, wet nose was considered a good sign that the dog did not have distemper. While canine distemper still occurs, it is far less common today thanks to vaccines.

What if My Dog Is Actually Sick?
All of this being said, you should not ignore any signs of sickness in your dog.

If you notice your dog's nose feels unusually hot, it's probably a good idea to check his temperature. Call your vet if your dog has a fever or is showing any other concerning symptoms.

There are some medical conditions that can affect a dog's nose, causing it to appear abnormal. Some are more major than others. Pemphigus foliaceous is a serious dermatological condition that can cause a dog's nose to become very dry and cracked. Sometimes, a dog's nose can be affected by allergies, potentially causing dryness and cracking, though to a less serious extent. Be aware that dogs can get sunburn, something that will affect the nose. There can also be pigment changes to your dog's nose, many of which are harmless. However, you should not ignore obvious changes to your dog's nose. Cracks, crusts, or sores on your dog's nose should be checked by your veterinarian as soon as possible. In addition, you should also contact your vet if your dog has nasal discharge, sneezing or wheezing.

The bottom line: If your dog's nose happens to be dry or warm but otherwise looks normal, don't panic. However, you should contact your veterinarian right away if something does not seem right with your dog.


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Colorado Dogs Taking Part In Stem Cell Study


DENVER (CBS4) – As dogs age, 80 percent of them will develop arthritis. A new national study is looking at stem cells as a treatment.

“I think it’s really ingenious because they do it in the NFL. They do it in horses, so why not dogs?” said Dr. Analisa Schilling, a veterinarian at Evans East Animal Hospital.

So far, Evans East Animal Hospital has screened about 50 dogs and enrolled 20 in the study. Dogs have to have osteoarthritis in up to two joints, but be in otherwise good health. Owners have to agree to bring the dog for follow up visits, and keep a daily log.

“I actually have a range of dogs from as young as 2-years to age 16,” said Angela Vogt, study coordinator.

To read more on this story, click here: Colorado Dogs Taking Part In Stem Cell Study


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Nightclub Shuts Down After Woman Rides Horse Into Crowd Of Partygoers


The city of Miami Beach shut down a nightclub on Friday after video surfaced showing a woman in a bikini riding a spooked horse into a crowd of people.

The incident happened at the Mokai Lounge sometime between Wednesday evening and the early morning hours of Thursday, according to a city document obtained by HuffPost. 

Attendees at the event recorded the commotion and posted footage to social media. One video showed a man trying to pull the seemingly resistant horse into the club as a man and woman ride on top of the animal. A second video shows the woman on the horse amid a tightly packed crowd of people. The horse throws the woman off before slowly walking through the crowd as people cheer.

To read more on this story, click here: Nightclub Shuts Down After Woman Rides Horse Into Crowd Of Partygoers


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Amazon Delivery Driver Fired After Dropping Package on a Puppy


This guy from amazon threw a package right on my puppy and you can tell it was on purpose, he didn't even care. Please share the hell out of this. Posted by Roly Andrade on Thursday, March 8, 2018

We’ve heard the stories of delivery drivers acting poorly, from throwing packages into yards to swiping boxes off the very porches they were supposed to deliver to.

But an Amazon delivery driver in Florida may have just nabbed the award for worst delivery guy of the year after he was caught on video in Florida appearing to drop a large package … on a puppy.

The Miami Herald reported that the dog owner was upset to see video footage of the package “delivery.” Luckily, Rocky, the 5-month-old lab mix, wasn’t seriously hurt.

“His eye is a little squinty. I think the corner of the box got him,” Brittany Aaron, the dog’s owner, told the Herald on Thursday. “I don’t see any cuts but I don’t know if anything is wrong internally. The package isn’t small. I have a front door that is accessible. I have never seen a delivery driver put a package over the fence.”

To read more on this story, click here: Amazon Delivery Driver Fired After Dropping Package on a Puppy

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Celebrity Dog Picasso Honored for Overcoming Tough Odds


EUGENE, Ore. (AP) — With his famous misaligned snout and unique toothy grin, Eugene dog Picasso was honored in Portland with an Oregon Humane Society Diamond Collar Hero Award.

At almost 2 years old, the pit bull, Chihuahua and Pomeranian mix has captured worldwide attention since coming to Eugene in early 2017.

The Oregon Humane Society's Diamond Collar Hero Awards recognize and honor animals and people who have acted to save a human or animal life in peril, performed services within the community with undying loyalty, or overcome incredible odds in order to survive.

"Picasso has overcome challenges that most dogs don't ever have to, from surviving an assaulter to living on the streets," said Liesl Wilhardt, Luvable Dog Rescue founder and executive director. "And he's done it all with courage and grace."

To read more on this story, click here: Celebrity Dog Picasso Honored for Overcoming Tough Odds

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Baltimore Cat, 17, Has $19,000 Kidney Transplant


BALTIMORE (AP) — Not quite four months ago, Betsy Boyd spent 41 percent of her annual salary on a kidney transplant for her ailing 17-year-old cat, Stanley.

As a condition of the $19,000 surgery, she also adopted the kidney donor, a 2-year-old tabby named Jay, bringing the total number of felines in her household to six. Both cats are thriving post-surgery — but if Stanley were tragically to die tomorrow, Boyd said she would have no regrets.

“He’s on immunosuppressant drugs, so he could get an infection,” she said.

“Anything could happen. If Stan did pass away sooner rather than later, I’d know I had done what I could for him. We’ve already had a few really good weeks. He’s really happy, and that alone is worth the price.”

Boyd isn’t independently wealthy. As a part-time member of the University of Baltimore’s creative writing faculty, she earns about $46,000 a year. Her husband, Michael Yockel is a freelance journalist and stay-at-home dad who cares for the couple’s twin sons, 3-year-old Texas and Miner. The couple bought their home in Baltimore’s Belair-Edson neighborhood for $95,000 — and paid cash.

To read more on this story, click here: Baltimore Cat, 17, Has $19,000 Kidney Transplant

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Monday, February 19, 2018

Dog Food Recall: Here Are All the Brands and Products Being Withdrawn


The J.M. Smucker Company announced last week that it was recalling a number of popular pet food products after it was revealed that they may contain traces of a drug that is often used to euthanize animals. The drug, pentobarbital, does “not pose a threat to pet safety” in extremely low doses, but its mere presence is obviously a huge cause for concern.

The company has published a list of all the dog food products affected by the recall, including varieties of wet canned dog food sold under a number of different brand names. The brands, which include Gravy Train, Kibbles ‘N Bits, Ol’ Roy, and Skippy, are sold in a number of different can sizes and flavors. You can read the full list below.

To read more on this story, click here: Dog Food Recall: Here Are All the Brands and Products Being Withdrawn



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A Tiny Baby Goat Makes the Cutest Noises When His Newly Adopted Human Stops Petting Him


An adorable ten day old rescued baby goat who was spending some quality time with Dan McKinnon, co-founder and executive director of Barn Sanctuary in Chelsea, Michigan, let out the cutest of noises whenever his newly adopted human stopped with the petting. This hircine youngster was surrendered to the Sanctuary along with two other siblings by a farmer unable to care for them. Donations can be made to help defray the costs of care for these cuties and other rescued animals through the Barn Sanctuary site.

To read more on this story, click here: A Tiny Baby Goat Makes the Cutest Noises When His Newly Adopted Human Stops Petting Him




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Wildlife Photographer of the Year Winner Captures the Magic of Animal Rescue


The photo that won Jo-Anne McArthur the Wildlife Photographer of the Year People’s Choice Award, speaks to anyone who has rescued an animal, whether it be a cat, dog or baby gorilla.

The winning shot, which beat out more than 50,000 others photos submitted to the National History Museum or London, shows a rescuer moving a orphaned baby gorilla named Pikin from her old animal sanctuary to a new, larger one full of fellow ape friends.

McArthur took the black-and-white photo in Cameroon while volunteering with the rescue group Ape Action Africa. According to the National History Museum of London, the photo was chosen by the public from a shortlist of 24 photos curated by the museum from over 50,000 entries submitted for the competition, now in its 53rd year.

To read more on this story, click here: Wildlife Photographer of the Year Winner Captures the Magic of Animal Rescue




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Saturday, February 17, 2018

The 1 Thing Most People Forget to Donate to Animal Shelters


People often tell me how much they love animals and ask what they can do to help them. The obvious is to donate money to shelters and animal charities, but there is more you can do beyond that. Another thing you can do is donate your time by walking dogs or fostering them, but what if those just don't seem like the right fit for you? We asked Rocky Kanaka, host and creator of Save Our Shelter, what else people could possibly do to help, and as an expert in this arena, he had several suggestions.

To read more on this story, click here: The 1 Thing Most People Forget to Donate to Animal Shelters

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Have You Ever Heard of the Sea Slug?


The sea slug is also commonly referred to as a sea cucumber, mainly because of the of the sea slug's shape and the fact that it is normally found on coral or rocks usually being very still, making it look like a type of aquatic vegetable.

The sea slug is a herbivorous animals and feeds on plankton and decaying matter on the ocean floor, along with grazing on the rocks and coral reefs for algae. By munching on the decomposing plant matter on the ocean floor, the sea slug is of great benefit to every marine environment where the sea inhabits.

Due to their motionless nature, sea slugs are often very exposed and are therefore popular prey for a wide variety of predatory animals in the oceans. Crabs, lobsters, fish and even humans are among the animals that prey on the fleshy sea slug.

Some species of sea slug are able to protect themselves from danger by wrapping their tentacles around potential predators, so that the predator is unable to harm them. This only applies however to the species of sea slug that actually have tentacles, others are completely defenseless.

The sea slug is often an interesting addition to a salt-water aquarium and can be useful in keeping the algae levels at a minimum. Although the sea slug leads a relatively motionless existence, they are an important factor in any marine environment.

There are known to be thousands of different sea slug species found around the world and it is estimated that there are many more species of sea slug that have not yet been discovered. Sea slugs can range in size from just a few millimetres to more than 30 centimetres in length and can be found in a variety of colours and shapes.

The sea slug is a hermaphrodite, meaning that the sea slug has both male and female reproductive organs. Sea slugs release eggs into the water in ribbon-like sticky clusters which can contain thousands of eggs but usually much less. The eggs are fertilized and the sea slug larvae (the baby sea slugs) soon develop and become bigger, after hatching from their sticky eggs.

Sea slugs are not only harvested for food by humans but are also used in traditional medicines particularly in the far east as the extracts from the sea cucumbers are said to have healing properties.





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What Pet Owners Need to Know About the Dog Food Recalls


Pet foods from four companies were recalled by the Food and Drug Administration Wednesday after Salmonella showed up in a variety of products.

Salmonella is a bacteria that can cause pets to get sick or become carriers that infect people with the pathogen, which leads to salmonellosis in humans.

Fortune spoke with Bill Marler, a food safety expert who has been a foodborne illness lawyer since 1993, about what pet owners should know about how the disease is spread and what to do if you or your pet is affected.

To read more on this story, click here: What Pet Owners Need to Know About the Dog Food Recalls

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The Deserts of Namibia: Life and Photography on Nature's Terms


Photographing wildlife in Namibia isn’t easy. It’s fraught with challenges, hardships, setbacks and stress. But the southern African nation’s peaceful landscapes, majestic animals and kindhearted people always make it worth the trouble. A recent two-week trip to Namibia, my third, was plagued by an unending series of mishaps, but it left me with a mountain’s worth of memories and thousands of photographs. When things weren’t going well, I couldn’t help but think of how much easier life is back home in New York. Now that I’ve returned, I can’t help but think about the photographic opportunities that abound in the harsh but beautiful deserts of Namibia.

Among the nations of sub-Saharan Africa, Namibia is visited less often by Americans than countries such as South Africa, Kenya and Tanzania. Namibians are more accustomed to travelers from Germany, France, Britain or Belgium and were slightly surprised to learn I had come from the United States. But they always greeted me warmly.

The nation is bordered by Angola to the north, South Africa to the south, the Atlantic Ocean to the west and Botswana to the east. A panhandle in the country’s northeastern corner, called the Caprivi Strip, stretches toward Zambia and Zimbabwe.

To read more on this story, click here: The Deserts of Namibia: Life and Photography on Nature's Terms



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