Doctors advise that pets as well as humans are at risk of mushroom poisoning. There are different types of mushrooms that can have varied effects on pets such as, depression, diarrhea, nausea and vomiting, abdominal pain, tearing, hallucinations, defecation, liver failure, seizures, drooling, urination, kidney failure, heart damage, hyperactivity and in some cases, death. Amanita phalloides is the most commonly reported severely toxic species of mushroom in the US but other Amanita species are toxic. The American Society for the Prevention of Cruelty to Animals (ASPCA) says, mushrooms are a very complex group of fungi. Certain species of mushrooms, such as the types you find in the grocery store, are considered to be nontoxic, while other wild species can be very toxic. Some have been known to cause liver and kidney damage, while others result in severe gastrointestinal and even neurological effects. Because a toxic mushroom could be growing right alongside a nontoxic one, identifying what type the animal ingested can be tricky. Because of this, we advise that pet owners not allow their animals to ingest any wild mushrooms. And since we often cannot get a positive identification of the exact species involved, it is important to treat all wild mushroom ingestions very seriously.
Ocean City, Maryland, An Anne Arundel County woman now holds the state record for catching the largest common dolphinfish, also known as mahi mahi. The Maryland Department of Natural Resources said Kristy Frashure of Pasadena reeled in the 74.5-pound fish during a tournament in Ocean City Friday. Frashure told the DNR it took 20 to 30 minutes to reel in the fish.
Norfolk, Virginia - The Virginia Zoo welcomed three adorable red panda cubs. Mom, three-year-old Masu, and dad, four-year-old Timur, welcomed three red panda cubs on June 18. The two male and one female cubs weighed about five ounces at birth, but now they're just over a pound. “Having red panda triplets is a unique situation,” said Dr. Colleen Clabbers, the Zoo’s Veterinarian. “It’s a lot of work for mom to care for three newborns, but Masu is doing a great job caring for the triplets, and all three have been thriving.” Red pandas are tree-dwelling animals that are native to the eastern Himalayan. In the wild, they are usually found in habitats in Myanmar, Nepal, India, Bhutan, Tibet, and China.
At the Virginia Zoo, Momma Masu gave birth in an indoor, climate-controlled den where she has been nursing and bonding with her cubs. The den is out of view to the public, but it is monitored by by Zoo Keepers and Animal Care Staff. Masu and the cubs will make their way to the original Red panda exhibit off the main pathway later this fall when Keepers feel they can confidently navigate the trees and other exhibit features. “Our Animal Care team had a great strategy last year in moving Masu to the Animal Wellness Campus while she was still pregnant, providing privacy for her first birth experience. She took great care of her cubs last year, which is why we opted to do the same thing again this time around,” said Greg Bockheim, Executive Director of the Virginia Zoo. “We’re excited to introduce Masu and the triplets to the public this fall!” What will the cubs be named? The Virginia Zoo is auctioning naming rights of the cubs in support of red panda conservation. The public can place bids on each of the cubs’ names through August 30. Click hereto place a bid on the cub's name, or to learn more.
The D.C. area ranks second in the nation out of 200 metropolitan cities examined for cases of heartworm disease among pets, according to a report by the Companion Animal Parasite Council. Washington comes in behind Moreno Valley, California, on the list and above Newark, New Jersey, Indianapolis, Indiana, and Cheyenne, Wyoming, in the top five. Craig Prior, past CAPC president, says that the organization has seen a 20% rise in cases of heartworm disease nationally in the last five years. “When we’re seeing these spikes in the prevalence rates in places like D.C. and other areas where you normally won’t see large numbers of heartworms, we realize that there’s something going on here that you need to be aware of and that you need to talk to your veterinarian because your dog has got the potential to be exposed,” said Prior, who has been a veterinarian for more than 35 years. To read more on this story, click here:DC ranks 2nd in top 10 cities for prevalence of heartworms in pets
Sir Patrick Stewart and his wife Sunny Ozell are passionate about pit bulls. They made a goal to foster three of them during this season’s filming of Picard and in bringing Ella home, they have met that goal.
Sunny is clearly smitten with Ella already, saying on Instagram that she has taken to calling her Ella Bella Cinderella because she is such a “pretty princess.” Like countless other pitties, she enjoys snuggling up on the couch under the comfort of a cozy blanket. Stewart and Ozell work with the rescue group Wags and Walks in fostering these wonderful pups. Based in Los Angeles, the group rescues family friendly dogs and works to find them foster and forever homes. They rely on donations to keep things running as well as fundraising through various event. Tickets are on sale now for their 9th annual Wags & Walks Benefit Gala in October. The star-studded event will be hosted by the fabulous Judy Greer and Sir Patrick and Sunny will be special guests.
In Siberia, Russia the winter can be incredibly harsh, the temperature can drop to severe lows (-60°c). Even summer in this country can be overshadowed by rain and some snow. That is why people have to prepare to help them through the extreme cold and dark months. However, not all animals are as resilient and can survive through the rough weather. Ryzhik (Ginger or Redhead) was found Tomsk, the city of Siberia where temperatures dropped to minus 40°c. All of his paws were so badly frostbitten, with gangrene setting in quickly and the vet had no other option but amputation. Despite losing all limbs, Ryzhik’s new owner didn’t give up him and decided to take him to a clinic in Novosibirsk, where can set him up with four prosthetic paws. To read more on this story, click here:This Cat Lost His Limbs To Frostbite And Now He Was Fitted With Artificial Ones
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Stephy Hirst from Australia always knew her kitty Omar was a big guy. Still, she was surprised when Guinness Records contacted her saying he might be the longest feline in the world. “At first I thought ‘is this real?’,” said Hirst. “We thought he might be (the longest cat in the world) but we hadn’t done anything about it because he might not be fully grown yet.” “(Omar) was tiny when we got him but then he just started growing and was at 22 lbs one year old.” Hirst decided to measure Omar and he came in around 3.93 ft weighing 30.86 lbs. Up until now, this Guinness title belonged to UK-based Maine Coon Ludo, who is measured at around 3.88 ft. After the his picture was posted on Cats Of Instagram, Omar became an Internet sensation. However, stardom doesn’t affect his daily routine, which includes waking up at 5 AM, eating kibble for breakfast, napping outside on the trampoline, and enjoying some raw kangaroo meat for dinner. “He sleeps on the couch … because he takes up too much room on the bed and he demands we cuddle and pet him all through the night.” Hirst says her husband always wanted a big cat – well, there you have it! To read more on this story, click here:Couple Is Proud Of Having The Longest Cat In The World
CONTENT ADVISORY This post contains graphic content and pictures that may be upsetting to some. Viewer discretion is advised. Dallas, an 9-month-old miniature bull terrier, was brought to Off-Leash K9 Training facility to be potty trained and learn basic obedience. His owners thought they were leaving their beloved dog in the care of professionals and never imagined any harm would come to him. Instead of being treated like a family member, Dallas was deprived of food and starved to death. Dallas spent five weeks at Off-Leash K9 Training in Johnson City, Tennessee. During that time the family said they were told they couldn’t visit because it would disrupt the training. Originally, Dallas was scheduled for two weeks of training, but the owners said the trainer told them he needed more time for housebreaking. To read more on this story, click here:Dog Dies From Starvation At Training Facility
Service dogs in Canada caught a performance of “Billy Elliot: The Musical” as part of their training last week. And cute images of the pooches peering over the backs of seats at the Festival Theatre in Stratford, Ontario, are now going viral. The group of dogs attended one of the Stratford Festival’s “relaxed performances.” The shows are “specifically designed to welcome patrons who will benefit from a less restricted audience environment,” according to the festival’s website. To read more on this story, click here:Very Good Service Dogs Watch 'Billy Elliot: The Musical' At The Theater
It’s only natural for humans to fear snakes and spiders; it’s an instinct that warns us of potentially poisonous creatures. That being the case, a humongous huntsman spider, home to Australia, could be someone’s worst nightmare. But that’s not the case for Barnyard Betty’s Rescue, a Queensland animal sanctuary that rescues all sorts of animals in need. A viral photo taken by Betty herself testifies to this after she rescued a huntsman spider the size of a dinner plate. Betty’s posted it online and described the encounter: “Yes, she is very real and very large and not photoshopped,” the description read. “She was a beautiful, calm spider, not aggressive in any way and like most spiders she just wanted to go about her business eating bugs and living in peace. “She didn’t or doesn’t need to be killed! Poor spiders are so misunderstood!” To read more on this story, click here:Woman Finds HUGE Huntsman Spider the Size of a Dinner Plate and Rescues It With a Broom
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Montgomery Parks urged dog owners to keep their pets on a leash and out of the lakes There are elevated levels of a toxic substance that could be deadly to dogs and harmful to people in two lakes in Montgomery County, Maryland, officials say. Blue-green algae released the toxin microcystin in Lake Needwood and Lake Frank in Rock Creek Regional Park. If ingested, microcystin can cause liver damage to people and pets. The toxin often appears at the lakes during the summer. "An algal bloom toxicity can be very dangerous and possibly lethal if not treated when clinical signs start occurring," Dr. Matthew Antokowiak, a veterinarian at AtlasVet in Washington, D.C., previously told News4 in 2017. Montgomery Parks said in a statement Tuesday that pet owners should keep their dogs on leashes and not allow them to drink or come into contact with the water. To read more on this story, click here:Algae Toxin That Can Kill Dogs Discovered in 2 Montgomery County Lakes
For rescue dogs, this is their day. Watch the first dog show that does not judge a dog on their breed, but rather their personality. Dogs do not have to be purebred to compete, and mutts are our favorites. The only requirement is that the dogs all be rescues. This dog show will be showcasing the dogs’ best traits out of 10 categories. Rebecca Romijn and Rich Eisen are the hosts, and the program features some celebrities as the judges. To read more on this story, click here:Spotlight Is On Rescue Dogs In First-Ever American Rescue Dog Show
An act of kindness was captured in a video when a disabled man got out of his wheelchair in order to shuffle down a grass embankment in order to rescue a small kitten that was caught in a storm drain. 30-year-old Abu Fathiyyaturahma Menk Abdun Mujtahid first noticed the kitten struggling to hold onto the concrete barriers in Sabah, Malaysia, last Saturday morning. Despite his inability to use his legs, Abu didn’t hesitate to get out of his wheelchair to get down to the stranded cat. His friend, who is also in a wheelchair, managed to film the moment that Abu rescued the kitten. When Abu first reached the drain, he realized that he was too far away to reach the kitten so he then readjusted his position in order to try again. To read more on this story, click here:Disabled Man Leaves His Wheelchair And Risks His Life To Rescue Kitten Stuck In Drain
Lynn Wainman arrived to her Hollywood home on Valentine’s Day to find that it had been ransacked. Her jewelry was stolen, but worst of all, her beloved dog named Daisy was missing as well. Wainman had adopted Daisy from the shelter more than seven years ago. Daisy has a severe skin condition that requires medication. Without it, her skin could become very bad, so Wainman worried about this as well. Months after Daisy had gone missing, a good Samaritan saw her on a road in North Miami Beach and took her in to try and find the owner. They scanned the dog for a microchip, which she had, but it still had the previous owner’s information. But with a lot of hard work, they finally were able to find Wainman. “I feel very excited because she’s back home and I know she’s going to be around people who love her and who are going to care about her,” said the good Samaritan, Joceline Paria. To read more on this story, click here: Dog Stolen In Home Burglary Found Months Later In Awful Condition
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