Here's a common scene for a dog owner: You're trying to eat and there is this pup that you love, staring up at you. Whining. Pawing. Looking so cute and sad. So, you cave in and share your food — it just doesn't seem possible to say "no". But before you become a sucker to those sad doggie eyes again, it's important to know which foods are actually safe for your dog to consume. Some human food is safe and even healthy for your dog, but there are lots of other foods that can be very harmful — it's not just chocolate you need to avoid. The following are the foods your dog should never eat, even when they beg and try to get the best of you. Some of these foods are incredibly toxic to our four-legged friends, and some can lead to health issues if given too frequently. Either way, we hope you think twice about feeding your pup human food after reading this list. Your dog might not thank you right away, but you'll both be better off! And, as always, when in doubt, err on the side of caution. And while these foods aren't good for dogs across the board, individual animals can even have allergies and adverse reactions to foods that are "safe". By Liz Marple To read more on this story, click here:Did You Know These 30 Foods Are Harmful To Dogs?
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Cat diseases can cause a variety of symptoms, including lethargy, weight loss, eye discharge, loss of appetite, and more. Learning to identify these illnesses and their symptoms may help you get a better understanding of the medical needs of your pet. Keep in mind, these charts provide helpful general information, but they are not intended to be a substitute for professional veterinary care. Chart of Cat Diseases, Symptoms, Treatment and Prognosis Cat illnesses can be broken down into several categories: degenerative, metabolic, cancer, infectious, or inflammatory with some overlap between the categories. Many diseases are difficult to diagnose because the symptoms overlap with other diseases. To read more on this story, click here:List of Cat Diseases and Symptoms
The effects of climate change on biodiversity and ecosystems are being felt across the world. Since June 2018, the Tsavo West National Park in Kenya has been suffering from a severe drought. The many species of animals there would have perished if not for the kindness of one man. Patrick Kilonzo Mwalua, a pea farmer, is keeping the animals alive by delivering thousands of liters of water to them every day. “It was in June last year when visiting the Tsavo that I noticed that the waterholes were dry and animals were sitting around them looking very desperate,” Mwalua told Nairobi Wire. “There is completely no water, so the animals are depending on humans,” Mwalua told The Dodo. “If we don’t help them, they will die.” To read more on this story, click here:Meet the African ‘Water Man’ Who Delivers Truckloads of Water to Thirsty Animals Daily
Like human health problems, some dog diseases, injuries and physical ailments are serious while others are not. Fortunately, the vast majority of health problems that dogs commonly experience can be successfully treated with medications, physical therapy, surgery, or other types of medical treatments. Unfortunately, since animals can’t talk, it’s often very difficult to detect what type health problems dogs may be experiencing. We have, however, compiled the following list of common healthcare problems to help you detect and better understand possible problems that could affect your dog’s health and overall wellness. If your dog is showing any of the symptoms that we have described for the various diseases and physical abnormalities listed below, it’s very important that you take your dog to see its vet at the earliest possible time. Early treatment will not only greatly improve your dog’s chances for a quick and complete recovery, but it could very well save your dog’s life. To read more on this story, click here:Dog Health: Diseases, Symptoms and Treatments
FORT COLLINS, Colo. — Wildlife officials say a man who fought off a young mountain lion on a northern Colorado trail killed the animal by suffocating it. Colorado Parks and Wildlife says the man was running alone near Fort Collins when the lion attacked him from behind after the movement apparently triggered its hunting instincts. The runner, whose name hasn’t been released, fought off the cougar, hiked out of the area after Monday’s attack and drove himself to a hospital. He suffered facial cuts, wrist injuries and puncture wounds to his arms, legs and back. To read more on this story, click here:Mountain Lion Killed By Jogger After Attack During Run
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It can be embarrassing when you run into a neighbor while you’re both walking your dogs and all your dog wants to do is smell the other dog’s butt. Relax a little; that’s normal dog behavior. If you pull on the leash to get your dog to stay away from the other dog’s butt, you might cause a fight to break out: by pulling your dog, you might make him look threatening to the other dog. Powerful Sense of Smell Humans can’t completely understand all the information a dog gets from smelling another dog’s butt. At least 33 percent of a dog’s brain is designed to process smells, as opposed to about 5 percent of a human’s brain. A dog’s sense of smell is so powerful that he can tell, for example, whether the dog before him in the veterinarian’s examination room was afraid, just by the smell the previous dog left behind. They Can't Shake Hands Dogs sniff butts to greet each other, much as humans do by shaking hands. Dogs have anal glands just inside their rectums, which produce a strong odor. Dogs can find out all sorts of information just by getting a whiff back there. They can find out the sex of the other dog, whether the dog is in heat, what the dog ate lately and whether the encounter is likely to be a friendly one. Because the smell is unique to each dog, butt sniffing is the best way dogs have to identify each other. It Calms and Grounds Them When a dog already knows about the other dog from a prior sniffing, he still smells the other dog every time they meet. Two dogs who live together typically smell each other’s butts when they come in from outside. So butt sniffing has another purpose: it’s also a dog calming mechanism, according to Kevin Behan, a Vermont dog trainer and author. Anytime something new happens—especially something stressful—dogs tend to sniff each other’s behinds. It satisfies the urge to do something, and it grounds them. Dogs Might Get into Trouble Some dogs, when meeting another dog for the first time, are enthusiastic sniffers. But the dog being sniffed might not take too kindly to all that focused attention. Whenever your dog is meeting another dog, be attentive. If the butt smelling is an unwelcome gesture, it’s time to separate the dogs.
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Every species has its own way of communication. I have often wondered, How do cats communicate with each other? Cats use a complicated method of communication. There are three ways they tend to “talk.” They sometimes converse with humans in the same manner. According to the ASPCA Complete Guide to Cats , humans are so focused on speech, we sometimes don’t pick up on a feline’s subtler expressions. How Do Cats Communicate With Each Other? Three ways of communication between cats are: 1. Vocal: Your cat uses vocalization to tell other cats (or you) what she needs. Different pitches, as well as the intensity and volume of her meowing, reflect her different emotional and physical requirements. Loud meowing indicates anxiety and fear, while less intense meowing is her way of showing confidence and contentment. Sounds include murmurs (purring), vowel sounds (meowing) and high-intensity growls and howls. 2. Body Language: To interpret a cat’s subtle body language, you need to consider the combination of all her features and movements. Understanding her moves (of the eyes, ears and tail) along with her body position can tell you a lot about what exactly is on her mind. Cats take on different postures for different situations, either in the presence of other cats or humans. But I’ll simplify things by saying that basically these movements break down into two categories: “Come closer” or “Go away.” Rolling over and showing her tummy is her way of issuing a “Come closer” invitation. A female cat in heat may use this tactic to let her male mate know she wants to get physical. On the other end of the spectrum, arching her back, puffing up her stiffened tail, baring her teeth, unsheathing her claws — that all basically means, “Go away! I will fight if I have to.” 3. Scented Markings: A cat’s main form of communication is through scents. If you have more than one cat, you may see them butting heads or rubbing their cheeks together. This natural rubbing occurs only when the cats are comfy with each other. According to The Cat Bible, facial glands release pheromones containing personal information about the cat’s age, weight, health and reproductive status. Cats use scents (ranging from urine and feces to scents released by paw pads or the facial glands) to leave messages to other cats. Scents are used to mark territory, to threaten or to announce a cat’s presence.
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Racehorses running down the streets at iconic global locations such as Sydney Harbour Bridge or Fifth Avenue in New York... It might sound implausible, but the man spearheading the project has told BBC Sport he hopes agreements for the first such race meetings, on a special artificial surface, will be in place by the end of next month. He is Peter Phillips, the Queen's eldest grandson, and here he outlines details of racing, safety, crowd and betting plans for the 'City Racing' project and how racing's best-known supporter is following the idea... What is this all about? Phillips, who is 14th in line to the throne, has been working on the proposals for five years since staging an equestrian event on a similar surface on Horse Guards Parade in London. He says that leg of the Global Champions Tour demonstrated how safe 'pop-up' conditions for horses in a competitive environment could be installed and removed within three days. To read more on this story, click here:Horse Racing: Plans For Racing On City Streets 'Could Be The Sport's Twenty20'
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Now that animal abuse is being taken far more seriously than ever before; more and more jurisdictions are altering their laws to reflect this new reality. A number of United States jurisdictions have now made laws that require the names of animal abusers to be displayed in a registry that is similar to the ones that are used for sex offenders. These registries are designed with the objective of keeping people who have harmed animals in the past from ever having the chance to do so again. They are a welcome addition to the lawmaking policies of places as disparate as New York City and Tampa. To read more on this story, click here:Animal Abusers Will Now Be Registered In A Database Like Sex Offenders
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Julia Heckathorn, 28, adopted two-year-old Boomeroo from a farm in Texas when she was just 3 weeks old. The pair have been inseparable ever since. Boomeroo, wears human clothing, lets out an excited squeak every time Julia walks into a room. She will stretch out her arms for cuddles, and follows her around the house. Julia is a children's author and takes Boomeroo with her whenever she visits a school in the hope of teaching them more about nature. She says Boomeroo loves to wear human clothes and even has her own wardrobe full of tops and dresses that have been specifically purchased from baby stores for her. When she was a joey, she slept in the house with her Julia and her husband, Jason. She eventually grew too big to spend time indoors, so the couple built a temperature controlled barn in their garden where she can sleep alongside the couple's other animals, an anteater, named Noche, four sugar glider possums, and a cat called named Larry. Although she sleeps in the barn each night, she spends her days hopping around the house and garden with Larry, staring out the window, and sleeping at Julia's feet while she writes. "When she was younger I used to carry her around in a bag with me to the supermarket so she could get used to seeing people," she said. She thinks I'm her mother, and she follows me everywhere. When I come near her, she makes this little sound, like an excited chortle, just as kangaroos would do in the wild to locate their mom," she said." Describing the kangaroo's love of human attire, she said: "When we first got her, she was wearing a little shirt and she's worn clothes ever since. The clothes give her comfort as a thunder shirt would give comfort to a dog." "She loves her tops, and when I have to take her top off to clean it, she puts her arms out and waits for me to dress her again," said Julia. Kangaroos are social animals, living in groups called mobs, so when she was a joey, Julia and her husband adopted Larry the cat to give her 24-hour companionship. Talking about the animals' unorthodox friendship, she said: "Boomeroo and Larry get on really well, and the two are now the best of friends, doing everything together. They eat grass together, lay together, and watch the birds together. It's adorable." Julia says that when she visits a school with one of her unusual animals, the childrens eyes 'light up with excitement" and they become really interested in learning about conservation. She has put plans on hold for another animal, since the couple are expecting their first child. "We are so excited to be expecting our first child, and I'm sure that she and the animals will be the best of friends. She will be a very lucky girl with wonderful experiences." said Julia. Click twice on arrow to start video
King is a 12-year-old dog who’s had a rougher life than most dogs — he has spent most of it living on the streets. After being struck by a car, King lost one of his front legs. He was given the surgery he needed, and then a rescue group called Marley’s Mutts swooped in to help find the senior sweetie a forever home. They knew they were going into it with the cards stacked against them. King was not only a senior dog, but one that was missing a leg. Months passed with no one willing and able to take in the pooch… Until Rocky Kanaka, TV host of the show Dog’s Day Out, heard King’s story and decided King deserved a really special day.
Can there really be a living creature that’s over five centuries old? It may seem impossible, but scientists have discovered one such beast living in the Northern Atlantic Ocean: a Greenland Shark. It’s long been known that this particular shark is older than most, but scientists had no idea just how old he was until recently. Now that they’ve pinpointed his age to be 512 years old, he’s claimed the title of world’s oldest living vertebrate. To read more on this story, click here:Scientists Discover 512 Y.O. Shark, Which Makes It The Oldest Living Vertebrate On The Planet
The 2-year-old yellow Labrador Retriever on Wednesday joined Walter Reed National Military Medical Center's dog program to help wounded veterans. BETHESDA, Md. — Sully, the service dog who symbolized devotion lying by former President George H.W. Bush's flag-draped casket, has a new mission. The 2-year-old yellow Labrador Retriever on Wednesday joined Walter Reed National Military Medical Center's dog program to help wounded veterans. Sully offered his paw as he was administered an oath streamed on Facebook to "support, comfort and cheer warriors and their families." To read more on this story, click here:Sully The Service Dog Has New Role Helping Wounded Vets
Cats love to chew on many things, especially plants and flowers. Our little explorers will jump to great heights if something looks enticing to them. Therefore, if you like to have plants or flowers at home either inside or outside, it’s important to know which plants or flowers are poisonous to cats. If a plant or flower is poisonous, than parts of the plant are poisonous even if some parts of the plant have higher concentrations of the toxic source than others. Many toxic plant and flowers are irritants: they cause inflammation of the skin, mouth, stomach, and some might affect a particular organ like the kidney or heart. To read more on this story, click here: Watch Out for These Poisonous Plants and Flowers for Cats
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