Fort Worth, Texas - A woman recently found that what she thought was a dog turned out to be a coyote. Cheyenne Harboe says she just wanted to do a good thing for a dog in need. But when it comes to wild animals in large cities, cute can quickly turn to dangerous. "I thought it was a puppy at first,” said Harboe. “Then I got closer, and he was really skinny, and I thought he was probably sick.” Harboe says when she saw the baby animal on her way into work, right behind a Posados Café in north Fort Worth, she wanted to help. “When i got up to it, like I could tell, ‘I don't think this is a dog, or if it is, it's a really, really skinny dog,’” said Harboe. With the animal wrapped in a blanket, Harboe named him Taco and took him to Summerfields Animal Hospital. There, it was confirmed that Taco was, in fact, a coyote. “The fact that he just even let me come close to him, I knew that something was probably wrong with him,” said Harboe. Again, her suspicions were confirmed. Dr. Karen Metzler, who works at Summerfields, saw several signs of rabies in the little coyote pup. Woman Found What She Thought Was a Stray Dog, Called Animal Control - Turned Out it was a Baby Coyote - It Had to be Euthanized Because it Showed Signs of Rabies Ft. Worth, Texas - "The lack of fear in this puppy sets off alarm bells for the potential for rabies,” said Metzler. That revelation means the coyote is a danger to anyone it's exposed to. "The potential for rabies exposure is present in wildlife, and coyotes are known to be a high reservoir host for rabies,” said Metzler. Animal control was called, and the little guy was taken away. It’s not exactly the ending that Harboe had envisioned. "I kind of regretted like trying to help him out ‘cause of the whole animal control thing,” she said. State law says coyotes are a high risk animal for rabies. The only way to test for rabies is to sample the brain tissue, so the coyote was euthanized and will be tested.
Why do guinea pigs belong in the Zoo? Here in the United States, guinea pigs make wonderful family pets. Visitors may be surprised to learn that these adorable creatures also play an important role in many South American cultures! They are celebrated at festivals, given to couples as wedding gifts and raised as livestock. We hope that our guinea pigs here at the Zoo teach visitors something new about this species’ origins and open up discussions with our visitors about proper pet choice and care. Also, why wouldn’t they belong in a Zoo — they are just adorable and are amazing ambassadors! Although these animals are not found in the wild today, the montane guinea pig — a likely ancestor — still resides in the Andes in South America. To read more on this story, click here:New at the Zoo: Guinea Pigs
Dog houses used to be fixtures in the American suburban landscape. That doesn't seem to be the case today. I couldn't find any statistics regarding dog houses' possible demise, but I did note that no less a source than the American Pet Product Association recently acknowledged that dogs are "moving from the dog house into our houses." Dogs are pack animals that thrive on companionship. Much like their wolf ancestors, dogs are very social. In fact, dogs are more social than humans and need to be part of human families. When you own a dog, you become the dog's pack and he wants to be with his pack. Forcing a dog to live outside with little or no human companionship is one of the most psychological damaging things a pet owner can do to a dog. I think dogs tend to sleep inside now in a crate or on a dog bed, as opposed to being put out for the night to sleep in a doghouse. It was once rare to have the family dog spend the night inside. Take a look at dog houses of the past...
...and present!
Doggy Doors With more people keeping their dogs indoors, they still want them to have access to the backyard. For several years people have started installing doggy doors in their homes to give their pets access to the yard when they are not home. Do you have a doggy door? Would you consider having a doggy door? Take a look at this doggy door:
As the deadly coronavirus outbreak continues to ravage the country, pet owners in China are putting on makeshift masks on their furry friends. Photos on the Chinese social media app Weibo show pets – namely cats – wearing the makeshift masks, many of them made from traditional surgical masks. Owners are cutting holes in the material to accommodate the animal’s eyes while the rest of their face remains covered. To read more on this story, click here: Cats Are Wearing Coronavirus Masks In China
What's cuter than babies and pets? Babies and pets together! Take a look at these adorable babies and their cute pets sleeping. WARNING: Extreme cuteness below!
What is pet dander? Cats and dogs have pet dander. It is tiny flakes of dead skin that slough off the pet continuously. Breathing in pet dander is the number one reason that people have an allergic reaction to animals. The dander is hard to see on some animals, and on others it looks like a bad case of dandruff, and the animal smells even after a bath. When the dander combines with oil and dirt, it becomes a glue-like substance trapping the undercoat and causing the hair to turn into large wadded mats. What are the most common causes for pet allergies? Cat and dog Dander, or skin flakes, as well as their saliva and urine, can cause an allergic reaction such as: sneezing, wheezing, and running eyes and nose. Both feathers and the droppings from birds, another common kind of pets, can increase the allergen exposure. Bird droppings can also be a source of bacteria, dust, fungi and mold. This also applies to the droppings of other caged pets, such as gerbils, hamsters and mice. Animal hair is not considered to be a very significant allergen, however, the hair or fur can collect pollen, dust, mold, and other allergens. Although individual pets may produce more or less allergen, there is no relationship between the pet's hair length and allergen production. There is also no such thing as a non-allergenic breed. Animal allergens are found mostly in homes where pets are present. What is surprising, however, is that these allergens are also found (in lesser amounts) in places where pets have never been present, such as schools, workplaces, and other public spaces. Since dander allergens are sticky, they can be brought to these places on the clothing of pet owners. Also, while dander on a smooth surface (such as a wall) can be easily wiped off, in soft materials, such as carpets, mattresses, upholstered furniture, and clothing, it can persist for long periods of time. That is why, unless special steps are taken, pet dander can remain in a home for up to six months after the pet has been removed. Rabbit Allergy Many people gets surprised when they first hear about rabbit allergy, it is something that they don’t even consider before buying a rabbit as a pet, however it is a type of allergy found in some homes. Just like other types of animal allergies its origin is in the proteins found in the saliva and blood of the animal and not in the fur. When the immune system is weak to fight these allergens, it enters into a defense mode, producing the infamous allergic reactions. Watery eyes and nose dripping are used by the body to wash away the allergens. This means that the body reacts to an attack, this attack by itself is not dangerous but it could be if the symptoms complicate.
With climate change and habitat destruction extirpating so many species from our planet, it’s rare that we see the needle move in the opposite direction. But, give a cat and a fox a few years to work on it, and they’ll find a solution. A new species, possibly a cross-breed between a cat and a fox, has recently been spotted on the island of Corsica. According to CNN, wildlife rangers from France’s National Hunting and Wildlife Office have identified 16 of the animals prowling the island. To read more on this story, click here:The Cat-Fox Is Real, And Here Are The Pictures To Prove It
Rescuing a stray puppy may not be a police officer‘s job, but some kind-hearted officers don’t do it for the job. Some genuinely want to help the little ones who can’t help themselves. Officer Kareem Garibaldi of the Lakeland Police Department in Florida is one of those wonderful people. Officer Garibaldi worked an early morning shift one Saturday in May, 2016. As he drove his patrol car, he nearly ran into a small Pit/Boxer mix puppy. The 8 to 10 week old pup had no identification tags or collar and was just running around loose. To read more on this story, click here:Police Officer Stays At Shelter Overnight With Stray He Rescued
ERIE, Penn. (WJET) – A recent study by the Lake Erie College of Osteopathic Medicine in Pennsylvania shows that beagles are capable of identifying lung cancer in humans with near-perfect precision. The research, published in The Journal of the American Osteopathic Association, indicates that three beagles were 97 percent accurate in distinguishing blood serum samples of patients with malignant lung cancer from healthy control samples. The study was conducted by a team from LECOM’s Bradenton, Florida, campus in collaboration with BioScentDX, which is a canine training and research firm in nearby Myakka City.
Some pictures of what hides under an owl’s majestic feathers have gone viral and are changing the way most people see these birds. For those who have ever wondered what is hidden beneath an owl’s feathers, wonder no more. The pictures have already gone viral, and as it turns out, it’s not what you may think. To read more on this story, click here:It Turns Out That Owls Have Long Skinny Legs Under All Their Feathers
He sat down in the cold, and wasn’t seen again for 18,000 years. Now, Russian scientists have uncovered the intact remains of the world’s oldest puppy, found in the Asian permafrost. Nearly every part of the dog was preserved in frozen mud, including the hair, whiskers, eyelashes, and teeth. “This puppy has all its limbs, pelage – fur, even whiskers. The nose is visible. There are teeth. We can determine due to some data that it is a male,” said Nikolai Androsov, director of the Northern World private museum. To read more on this story, click here:18,000-Year-Old Puppy Found Fully Preserved In Ice
Bottle caps, pieces of cutlery, garbage, Zip-lock bags and large plastic shards were found. BOCA RATON, Fla. — Editor's Note: The photo above is a file image. Scroll down for photos of the plastic. A South Florida nature center made a sad discovery while a turtle in its care was recovering from surgery. The turtle came into the Gumbo Limbo Nature Center for hook removal surgery and began passing large pieces of plastic debris. To read more on this story, click here:Turtle Passes 100 Pieces of Plastic While Recovering From Surgery
In 50 years, Billie Eilish will be turning 69 years old, technology will likely be unrecognizable, and the world may have lost ⅓ of all its plant and animal species. A new study has found that warming temperatures will likely cause hundreds of species to go extinct. Researchers at the University of Arizona analyzed 538 plant and animal species from around the world, 44% of which already faced local extinctions in at least one area in the world. What they discovered is that the areas that suffered from species extinctions had "larger and faster changes in hottest yearly temperatures than those without." To read more on this story, click here:⅓ Of Animal And Plant Species Might Go Extinct Due To Climate Change
Eating one’s own stool, a behavior also known as coprophagia, is common in dogs but very rare in cats. Dogs are notorious for eating things that humans find extremely distasteful, stool included. However cats do not normally eat their own stool, and when they do this type of behavior could be a sign of an underlying mental problem. Cats that have been severely abused or kept in extremely unsanitary conditions with little food or water may have picked up the practice of coprophagia as a survival mechanism. Even though the cat is now in a safe place, it may still feel like it is necessary to eat its own stool. Young cats and kittens may also develop coprophagia from a type of mental disorder. Cats are prone to developing mental disorders, such as obsessive compulsive disorder, and coprophagia in cats could be a manifestation of some type of mental disorder. Kittens may also confuse their own stool with food, and it may take them awhile to realize that their stool is not food. If our cat is eating its own stool, have your cat examined by a veterinarian to ensure first that no medical conditions are causing the behavior. Keeping the litter boxes clean, and making sure that your cat feels safe and secure in its environment, may help to reduce further incidences of coprophagia. Did you know that mother cats eat kittens feces while kittens are suckling on the mother? It's perfectly normal and quite safe in that a mother cat licks her kittens' bottoms while and just after a kitten has nursed on her. They do this to stimulate the kitten to wee and poop as kittens don't have an automatic nerve self stimulus to do so until they are about 3 - 4 weeks old. If the mother cat does not do this the kitten will stop feeding, get very poorly, get blood poisoning and die. The mother cat swallows her kittens' defecation at this time to keep her nursing nest clean. The kittens' wee and poop at this age are so small that it's almost undetectable.
Fort Worth, Texas - A woman recently found that what she thought was a dog turned out to be a coyote.
