How To Properly Pet Animals

Learn how to interact with animals and you’ll have more furry friends than you know what to do with.

Tips On How To Properly Trim Your Dog's Nails

The most common reasons for avoiding nail trims are that the owner is afraid of “quicking” the dog, or that the dog fusses and creates bad feelings around the procedure. Nail cutting becomes an event surrounded by angst and drama. For very active dogs who run all day long on varied surfaces, cutting nails may not be necessary. High mileage wears them down naturally. But among city or suburban dogs who are lucky to get a mile or two walk daily, excessively long toenails are more common than not.

Consequences Of Long Toenails
So what’s the big deal? The first consequence of long toenails is painful feet. When a dog’s toenails contact hard ground, like a sidewalk or your kitchen floor, the hard surface pushes the nail back up into the nail bed. This either puts pressure on all the toe joints or forces the toe to twist to the side. Either way, those toes become very sore, even arthritic. When the slightest touch is painful to your dog, he will fuss when you pick up his paw to cut nails.

The second consequence of long toenails is more serious. All animals rely on information from nerves in their feet to move through the world and process gravity accurately. For millions of years, wild dogs have run long distances while hunting and worn their nails short. The only time their toenails would touch the ground was when climbing a hill. So a dog’s brain is evolutionarily programmed to associate toenail contact with being on a hill, and he shifts his body posture accordingly: leaning forward over his forelimbs, up the imaginary hill as reported by his toes. Since the hill is not real, a secondary compensation with his hind limbs is necessary to avoid a face plant. This abnormal compensatory posture can be called “goat on a rock,” because it brings his paws closer together under his body.

Normal neutral posture is a nice show dog “stack,” with vertical legs like a table. Recent research shows that standing with limbs “camped-in” is hard work to maintain. These goat-on-a-rock dogs get over-used muscles and eventually over-used joints, especially in their hind limbs, making it difficult to jump in cars, climb stairs and even hard to get up from lying down. Sounds like a lot of older dogs we know! Cutting toenails short can be like a miracle cure for your dog whose hind end has become painful, weak and over-used.

How To Trim The Toenail
Toe nail maintenance requires a trim every two weeks, just like maintaining human fingernails. If you can hear nails clicking on your kitchen floor, they are much too long. But don’t despair, the technique shown here will make short work of getting your dog’s nails back to their correct shape. The concept is easy: trim around, never across the quick, which is actually your dog’s finger.

TOOLS OF THE TRADE

NAIL CLIPPERS

• Use only “scissor” type clippers. Guillotine style clippers crush the toe, which is painful. Never put the whole nail in a clipper.
• Use small size clippers for better control. Only giant breed dogs will need large ones.
• Keep your tools sharp: either replace or sharpen your clippers regularly.
• “Quick-guards” obscure your view of the nail. If possible, remove them, or at least tape them back so that they won’t interfere with your work.
• “Pedi-paws” type grinder: Smooth out your trim afterwards with a rotating emeryboard.
• File only the insensitive nail around the top and sides of the quick: “Sharpen the pencil” where the nail is the wood and the quick is the lead.

IF YOU CUT THE QUICK
Use corn starch to staunch the bleeding if you make a nail leak. With shallow cuts, this will be rare.
It’s easiest if you use a small container with tightly packed powder.

TIPS AND TRICKS

• Trim nails outside or in a well lit room.
• If you need “cheaters” for reading, use them for toenail clipping too.
• It’s actually easier to see the nail structures on pigmented nails than on white ones. The insensitive nail will show as a chalky ring around the sensitive quick.
• Keep clipper blades almost parallel to the nail – never cut across the finger.
• Don’t squeeze the toes – that hurts! Use your fingers to separate the toes for clipping and hold the paw gently. Use a pair of blunt edged children’s scissors to remove excess toe hair: nothing dulls clippers quicker than cutting hair!
• Remember, no dog ever died from a quicked toenail. If you “quick” your dog accidentally, give a yummy treat right away.
• Make nail trimming fun: always associate nail cutting with cookies and praise.
• For maintenance, cut every two weeks. To shorten, cut every week.

Once the insensitive nail is thinned out and isn’t supporting the quick, the quick will dry up and recede. This will allow you to cut your dog’s nails even shorter. Each dog’s nails are different, but very long toenails often become dry and cracked, with a clear separation of the living tissue and the insensitive nail. This will make it easier to trim back longer nails.

What’s inside your dog’s toenail? (image above)

On the left, the interior structures are shown, along with the suggested angle to remove the “roof” of the nail, while not harming the sensitive quick. On a black claw, the interface between sensitive and insensitive nail is usually chalky and white – very easy to discern. On the right is a close-up view of the inside of the nail. On cross section, the sensitive quick will look translucent and glossy, like living flesh. In untrimmed claws, there will often be a “notch” below the tip of the quick. It is usually safe to initiate your angled cut at the notch.

Some dogs act like cutting their nails is their worst nightmare. This may be a learned behavior from their painful, overstimulated toes, which will slowly dissipate along with the pain once the nails are short. Use all your best restraint and behavior modification tricks to get through the initial phase, whether your dog is a squirmer or a drama queen.

Start on the hind feet, because the nails tend to be a little shorter and less sensitive than the front. But remember you can’t make an accurate cut on a moving target so get help from your dog trainer or groomer if needed. Make nail trimming “quality time” you spend with your dog. Lots of kisses, lots of treats and a positive attitude go a long way. If you dread it, your dog will too, so learn how to be a good actor until you succeed in believing it can be a loving experience for you both. If your dog loses patience quickly, try cutting one nail a day. As long as you keep the order of toes consistent, this will be a good maintenance schedule, giving every toe a trim every 16 days.

Short toenails are critical to your dog’s health and soundness. Failure is not an option!

Ferret Adrenal Disease

Tumors of the adrenal gland in ferrets can cause excess secretion of sex hormones, thus affecting many organs in the body. Unfortunately, this is a relatively common problem in middle aged and older ferrets. Even though most of these tumors are not malignant, they can cause significant disease if left untreated.

Dogs and cats get a problem similar to this, although it acts and is treated differently. In dogs and cats it is due to an excess secretion of cortisone, not sex hormones. In these species it is called Cushing’s disease.

At the very end of this page is a QuickTime video of part of a surgery to remove cancerous adrenal glands and cancerous nodules on the pancreas. You will need QuickTime from www.apple.com to be able to view it.

Physiology
This disease involves reproductive hormones. In a normal ferret, a hormone from the hypothalmus in the brain,  called gonadotropin-releasing hormone (GnRH) causes stimulation of luteinizing hormone (LH) and follicle stimulating hormone (FSH) from the pituitary gland. These hormones stimulate the release of estrogen and testosterone from the gonads. A very sensitive negative feedback loop maintains just the right amount of estrogen and testosterone. This sensitive balance is upset in adrenal disease of ferrets.

Cause
The exact reason this tumor arises is not completely unknown. It is seen more often in the U.S. than in Great Britain, where different breeding and husbandry practices are utilized. It is speculated that diet, exposure to sunlight, and neutering are all factors, with neutering being the most important one.

Ferrets breed seasonally, causing variation in melatonin release with varying daylight. Less daylight means more melatonin and a thick haircoat. This higher level of melatonin eventually exerts a negative feedback on the release of the sex hormones estrogen and testosterone. When ferrets are spayed and neutered the negative feedback is disrupted, more of these sex hormones are secreted than is normal, and clinical signs develop.

The three main types of adrenal lesion encountered are:
Nodular hyperplasia that occurs 56% of the time
adrenocortical adenoma that occurs 16 % of the time
adrenocortical adenocarcinoma that occurs 26% of the time


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The Southern Maryland Blue Crabs Minor League Baseball Team Will Not Be Giving Away Hermit Crabs At Their Opening Game - Auctioning Off Special Jerseys to Benefit the Herman Crab Association

 Waldorf, Maryland - A Waldorf minor league baseball team is abandoning a plan to give away 1,000 live hermit crabs on Opening Day.

After announcing the plan, the Southern Maryland Blue Crabs received thousands of emails, calls and posts on social media-- both for and against the promotion.

In response, the team says it will change its name to the "Southern Maryland Hermit Crabs" for Opening Day, which is April 24.

Players will wear special jerseys that day, which will be auctioned off to benefit the Hermit Crab Association. Members from that organization will be invited to throw out the first pitch.

Hermit crab activists will also be given the chance to speak to fans attending the game.

You can read my previous post here:
Have You Heard? The Southern Maryland Blue Crabs Minor League Baseball Team Will Be Giving Away Hermit Crabs As Pets, At Their April 24 Opening Game

Amtrak Service Animals and Pet Policy

Available on the Carl Sandburg and Illinois Zephyr May 5, 2014 - April 26, 2015; Saluki & Illini August 11, 2014 - April 26, 2015

Carry-on Pet Pilot Program
Amtrak and the state of Illinois will extend the carry-on pet pilot allowing customers to take their small dogs or cats along with them on the train that started on May 5, 2014 through to April 26, 2015 on the Carl Sandburg, and the Illinois Zephyr, Trains 380, 381, 382 and 383. In addition, the pilot will expand to include the Illini and Saluki, Trains 390, 391, 392 and 393 starting August 11, 2014 through to April 26, 2015. For more information on the types of pets allowed, pet reservations and fares, approved pet carriers and additional details, review the complete Carry-on Pet pilot program guidelines.

With the exception of the Carry-on Pet pilot program, Amtrak does not permit pets on trains or Thruway services, in passenger areas of train stations or in checked baggage.

Only Service Animals Permitted
Generally, animals are not allowed on Amtrak. However, service animals are permitted in all areas where passengers are allowed. Service animals are animals that are trained to perform a specific task for the benefit of a person with a disability. Amtrak personnel may ask what task(s) the service animal performs.

Animals Not Allowed
The following types of animals are not permitted:

Comfort Animals: Animals not trained to perform a specific task, but which are said to provide emotional support or to relieve anxiety simply by their presence (for example, by the passenger holding or stroking the animal).

Pets: Animals for which no claim of any service is made.

Search and Rescue Dogs:* Animals that are trained generally, but not to assist a particular passenger.

Police Dogs:* Other than dogs brought on trains by the Amtrak Police Department.
* If the passenger or agency feels an exception needs to be made for search and rescue dogs or police dogs, contact the Amtrak Police Department for assistance.

Control of Your Service Animal
You must keep your service animal under control at all times. The animal should always be on a leash, harness or other tether, unless either the handler is unable because of his/her disability to use a harness, leash or other tether, or the use of a harness, leash or other tether would interfere with the service animal's safe, effective performance of work or tasks, in which case the service animal must be otherwise under the handler's control.

Amtrak personnel may require you to remove your service animal en route or from the station premises if:

the animal is out of control and you do not take effective action to control it (for example, a dog causes a significant disturbance by barking repeatedly and uncontrollably or is not housebroken) or
the animal poses a direct threat to the health or safety of others.

If you are asked to remove your service animal, but you would like to remain on the premises and/or continue travel without the animal, you must make arrangements for another person or local animal control to accept custody of your animal, and you may be required to continue or begin your Amtrak travel at a later time or on a later date.

Service Animal Must Remain on Floor
A service animal must sit under the passenger's seat or at his or her feet. Service animals are not allowed to sit in the aisle or on seats.

Walking Your Service Animal
If the train schedule permits, you may walk your service animal at station stops provided that you stay within reasonable proximity to the train and re-board promptly when the conductor notifies you that the train is about to depart. If you plan to walk your animal during the trip, please notify the conductor when you first board the train. Some routes may have limited or no stops for the duration of your trip, so we encourage you to check schedules before you make your travel plans.

Amtrak employees are not responsible for the care or supervision of any passenger's service animal.

Making Reservations with Service Animals
It is not possible to make reservations that include service animals on Amtrak.com. Amtrak encourages passengers using service animals to make reservations by phone so that we can reserve an accessible seat or space (if desired) and provide you with information regarding intermediate station stops. Call 1-800-USA-RAIL (1-800-872-7245) or TTY (1-800-523-6590). Agents are available 24 hours a day, 7 days a week.

Andrews Air Force Base Personnel - Dog Found on Base on March 12, and Brought to the Prince George's County Animal Shelter - Do You Know This Dog's Owner?

"Fiona" (Shelter name) A420124 was found on AAFB yesterday and brought in by two awesome military men in hopes she'd find her family. Please, if you live on Base, contact us to get her back.

Prince George's County Animal Shelter
3750 Brown Station Rd
Upper Marlboro, Maryland
(301) 780-7200

Website: Prince George's County Animal Shelter

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A Couple Took Their Dog to PetSmart to Get His Nails Clipped and He Died Shortly Afterwards

Niles, Michigan  - A couple took their dog to PetSmart to get his nails clipped and he died shortly afterwards.

Terry Archer and Sheri Mills took their four year old English Bulldog Bubba to the PetSmart in Mishawaka for the nail clipping.

"We were looking forward to a good day together. We were going to go buy him some new toys, take him to get his nails clipped, and go for a walk on the beach later," said Archer.

When Archer and Bubba got to the store, they walked around the store while Archer picked out new toys for his dog.

Then he decided he would go by the salon before he and Bubba left.

"It all happened within a matter of about five minutes, at least that's the way it seemed in my mind," Archer said.

He recalls there being about five to seven dogs in the grooming salon when Bubba was taken in by the groomer.

Archer stood and watched through the window.

"I'm watching the girl in the back and she says, 'Hey I need some help, can somebody please hold the dog?' So another girl walks back there and I see her lay over the top of Bubba, Bubba's laying on the table, arm around my neck and lays around the top of him,” Archer added.

The next thing he knew he was carrying Bubba's lifeless body out of the store and riding in the car with the groomers on the way to the emergency vet clinic where he was pronounced dead.

“I had his lifeless body in my arms and he was just limp and hanging over," he said.

Archer and Mills said they have never had a dog like Bubba before and see him as just another member of the family.

"We've never fallen in love with an animal like we did with him. I've never hurt so bad about losing an animal than we do with him. We loved our dog, he was a family member," said Mills.

The couple said that PetSmart expressed condolences to them for their loss a few days after it happened.

PetSmart also released a statement, that said: "At PetSmart, the health and safety of the pets in our care is our top priority, and we are truly saddened by the loss of Bubba. An investigation is underway, but our initial review indicates that our associates acted appropriately by helping the pet parent find the nearest open pet emergency center. We require all of our pet groomers to complete an extensive training program and an annual safety certification. We believe that a continued focus on high standards is an effective way to hold groomers accountable and promote safety in our salons."

Two More People Have Now Been Arrested in Connection with the Dog Who Was Shot and Left Tied to Railroad Tracks

Tampa, Florida - Two more people have now been arrested in connection with the dog who was shot and left tied to railroad tracks because she wouldn't fight.

Tampa police announced this morning that the dog's owners have been jailed after detectives found two more dogs allegedly used for fighting. Two juveniles had already been arrested yesterday after a weeklong investigation.

Kenny Bell and Darnell Devlin, who are brothers, are facing two counts each of possessing a dog fighting dog. Police said they also admitted they owned Cabela, the dog that was found shot twice and tied to train tracks.

"The two that were arrested today purchased [Cabela] for the purpose of dog fighting," Tampa Police Department Assistant Chief Eric Ward said. "One of the two teens arrested earlier in our investigation indicated that she wouldn't fight so that's why they needed to get rid of her."

The story of 'Cabela,' as she has since been named, has made headlines around the world. The female mixed breed was found last Wednesday night, tied to a railroad track and suffering from gunshot wounds. Police say the dog had been bought for fighting, but when she wouldn't fight, her new owners decided to get rid of her.

Two teenagers, both 17, were arrested Wednesday night. Ward said surveillance video shows them, Bell and Devlin leading Cabela toward the tracks.

Police said the suspects told them they tried to shoot the dog, but she ran away. They tracked her down at the home of Bell and Devlin and, according to detectives, the teenagers took her back to the tracks where they tied her down and shot her multiple times.

Officers found the dog after they responded to calls about shots fired in the area of Eskimo Avenue. They named her Cabela and she has since had surgery to repair one of her legs.

Ward said during the investigation, detectives found two more dogs in the home of Bell and Devlin; both animals had injuries consistent with dog fighting. The dogs are now with Hillsborough County Animal Services.

"There were several injuries, not only along the neck but all over their bodies," he said, adding police also found evidence of dog fighting in the backyard.

FOX 13 spoke with Alicia Young, the mother of both Bell and Devlin, who said her sons are innocent.

"I'm not going to say I have the perfect boys but they are not what they're trying to charge them with and put across the media is not true," Young said. "I'm their mom and I'm going to stand behind them 100 percent."

Young said her sons never owned Cabela and described their interaction with her as "middle-men," delivering the dog from her former owners to the two teenagers who are accused of shooting her.

Young also denied Bell, 18, and Devlin, 21, are involved in dog fighting.

"I'm trying to clear their name because this is not right," she said.

Police, however, said they've received confessions from everyone involved.

"Often times we don't tell our mothers the truth. Through the course of the investigation this is what was told to the detectives," Ward said.

In juvenile court Thursday, one of the 17-year-olds got home detention, with a stern warning from the judge:

“I better not catch you violating home detention young man,” he said.

The other teen, who is facing a gun charge, will stay in juvenile detention until his next court date. He has been arrested 16 times since age 13.