Is Your Pet as Healthy as It Could Be? Take the Test

Answer a few questions, and you'll get:
Information about health topics that affect your pet
Expert tips for handling your pet's specific behavior problems
A personalized list of articles to help you learn more about your pet

To take the test, click here: Is Your Pet as Healthy as It Could Be?

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Have You Ever Lost a Pet? Then You Know The Stress of Looking for Them: Download and Place This Door Hanger with Your Pet's Picture on All Neighbors' Doors

If you have ever lost a pet, you know the stress of trying to make up posters. I am sharing a handy template, from the Seattle Animal Shelter.

Place these door hangers with your pet's picture on all of your neighbors' doors.

Search your neighborhood. Talk with neighbors, local veterinarians, delivery drivers and postal carriers. Don't forget about newspaper deliverers that work early in the morning.

Printout Here:
To open Pdf download, click here: Lost Pet Door Hanger

This is what the door hanger looks like:

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How to Prevent Cat Scratching

Cats were born to scratch, and they have the tools to do it with too. The best first step is to keep your cat's claws trimmed. I do not support declawing cats, but I am a big proponent of good grooming, starting with regular nail trims every few weeks or as needed. Kitties sometimes get their claws stuck in things (including your favorite furniture), so trimming your pet's nails is good for your pet as well.

Provide your cat with a good scratcher, be it a simple cardboard one, a small flat sisal board or a larger kitty tower. Some of the latter are really beautiful these days, coming in furniture-grade wood that will enhance your home's decor while making your cat happy.

Sometimes, however, cats just get in a bad habit. If your cat is set on scratching a certain favorite item, here are some of the latest types of no-scratch products that are available:

Cat-scratch prevention tape with medical-grade adhesive: Prevention tape has been around for a long time, but manufacturers are coming up with improved adhesives that really adhere to furniture and annoy cats. They usually won't harm fabrics and more delicate materials.

Cardboard scratchers combined with mazes: The simple cardboard scratcher, found even in many large grocery stores, has received a makeover. Some manufacturers have added a maze game to the bottom of it, making it doubly satisfying for your cat.

Scratchers in cat-friendly shapes: Some new scratchers are shaped like waves, bridges and even beds, providing your pet with something to climb on, explore and scratch.

Automated cat-deterrents: My favorite new gizmos are automated cat-deterrents, which have motion detectors. Once they detect that your cat is nearby, they automatically spray a harmless, nontoxic spray that most cats abhor. You just set up the device and forget about it until the spray runs out. Refills are then available. These can be used to prevent cats from urinating on carpeting and from doing other unwanted things.

Lastly, buy furniture with your cat in mind. Microfiber and some other materials are not as easy for cats to dig their claws into. And if you often hold your cat, it will no doubt prefer to knead on you. Sometimes needy cats are more kneady on furniture, so give your cat the attention it craves, and better behavior often results.

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Alligator Kills South Carolina Woman Trying To Protect Her Dog At Resort

HILTON HEAD ISLAND, S.C. -- A South Carolina woman trying to protect her dog was killed by an alligator at a private resort, authorities said Monday. The attack occurred around 9:30 a.m. at the Sea Pines Resort on Hilton Head Island, the Beaufort County Sheriff's Office said in a news release.

Cassandra Cline, 45, of Hilton Head Island, was walking the dog along a residential area of Sea Pines Resort when she was attacked, state and local officials said. The 8-foot alligator was later found and killed, said David Lucas, a spokesman for the South Carolina Department of Natural Resources.

"She was walking the dog near the lagoon and the alligator came out of the water and tried to get the dog," Lucas said. "The lady tried to rescue the dog and a maintenance worker ran over to help."

The alligator latched onto the dog's leash and engaged in a tug of war with the woman, authorities said. The dog was unharmed in the attack.

"It's common practice when we have an aggressive alligator like that, we put it down, but it will take some take some time to confirm it's the right alligator," said Capt. Robert McCullough of the Department of Natural Resources.

To read more on this story, click here: Alligator Kills South Carolina Woman Trying To Protect Her Dog At Resort

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Blackpool Zoo Tries To Dissuade Man From Buying A Pet Giraffe

An exasperated customer service assistant from Blackpool Zoo found themselves having to dissuade man from purchasing a giraffe for Christmas.

Calling himself ‘Chudders’, the man emailed the zoo with the query: "Is it possible to buy and own a giraffe in Scotland? I’ve been after a giraffe for years now and I want to make it a reality now”.

His children, he said, had their heart set on a hamster – but that he would much prefer a giraffe.

He was sure to emphasise that he had “a decent sized back garden” and “an upstairs/downstairs house so it could be fed from the bedroom window without any hassle”.

To read more on this story, click here: Blackpool Zoo Tries To Dissuade Man From Buying A Pet Giraffe

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Watching This Pet Possum Eat Broccoli Is The Cute Fix You Need Today

Get ready for your daily dose of cuteness overload. 

Meet Starfish. She’s a sweet li’l possum with a face for the silver screen. She loves to play with her cat siblings, attack her food with her candy corn teeth, and travel all over the country with her mom, Ally.

The young opossum crossed paths with Ally after she lost her tail as a baby. Since opossums are not typically pets, the reason she now lives with Ally is because without a tail she cannot do some of the things wild opossums need to do to stay alive. Tails are important to these animals because they use them for balance, carrying nesting materials, and climbing.

To read more on this story, click here: Watching This Pet Possum Eat Broccoli Is The Cute Fix You Need Today

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Does Your Pet Have an Extra Toe? – It is Called a Dewclaw

I will start off first by identifying the additional toe that your pet has…it is not a toe as I have heard people say, it is call a dewclaw.

What is a Dewclaw?

A dewclaw, commonly referred to as a Dog's thumb, is a vestigial digit  on the foot of many mammals, birds, and reptiles (including some extinct orders, like certain theropods). It commonly grows high on the leg so that in digitigrade species, when the animal is standing, it does not make contact with the ground. Dewclaws are perhaps best known in dogs, and they are often removed in young puppies, though there is debate on whether this is necessary.

I was first told about a dewclaw from my vet when I took my puppy to get shots. I asked him why he had an extra toe. He informed me that it was not a toe….”dogs don’t have toes”, he said. Then he got serious and explained what a dewclaw was and that I had the choice to have it removed. Because my dogs fur covered their dewclaws he told me to always call it to the attention of the groomer.

The American Society for the Prevention of Cruelty to Animals (ASPCA)  says, don’t forget to trim your dog’s dewclaws as well. Most dogs just have dewclaws on their front legs, but some dogs have one, and sometimes even two, sets of dewclaws on their rear legs. If your dog doesn’t have dewclaws on his front legs, he had them surgically removed earlier in his life.

                                   

What do you if your dogs dewclaw broke and hanging?

Do not pull or cut unless you can see that it is almost not attached. It is preferable to bandage the part of the leg for giving time to it falls by itself.
Veterinarian Chevy Chase, MD

Polydactyl Cats

A polydactyl cat is a cat with a congenital physical anomaly called polydactyly (or polydactylism, also known as hyperdactyly), a type of cat body type genetic mutation that causes the cat to be born with more than the usual number of toes on one or more of its paws. Cats with this genetically inherited trait are most commonly found along the East Coast of North America (in the United States and Canada) and in South West England and Wales.

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Epilepsy in Pets

Epilepsy is a brain disorder that causes the dog to have sudden, uncontrolled, recurring physical attacks, with or without loss of consciousness. This may sometimes occur for unknown reasons (idiopathic) or due to genetic abnormalities. However, idiopathic epilepsy is often characterized by structural brain lesions and is more likely seen in male dogs. If left untreated, the seizures may become more severe and frequent.

One of the most terrifying scenes a pet owner can witness is that of a pet in the throws of a grand mal seizure. Once seen, it will never be forgotten.

Epileptic episodes are quite common in dogs and actually show up more often in certain breeds of dogs than in others.

For unknown reasons, epilepsy in cats is rather rare. When seen in a cat, epileptic episodes may have more serious underlying mechanisms than when present in dogs. Let’s explore this disorder a bit and we will gain a better understanding of just what is going on during an epileptic episode.


What Pets Get Epilepsy ?

Dog breeds predisposed to epilepsy:
Any dog can be an epileptic. The following breeds are predisposed to this condition: Beagles, all Shepherds (German, Australian, Belgian, Tervuren), Border Collies, Boxers, Cocker Spaniels, Collies, Dachshunds, Golden Retrievers, Irish Setters, Keeshonds, Labrador Retrievers, Poodles (all sizes), St. Bernards, Shelties, Siberian Huskies, Springer Spaniels, Welsh Corgies, and Wire-haired Fox Terriers. Seizures also occur more frequently in staffordshire bull terriers than in many breeds. But those seizures are often related to a specific neuro-metabolic disorder seen in this breed.

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