Quick Health Exam

Here’s some great advice to humans, from Heloise, who like to look out for the welfare of their beloved canines, like me.

I wonder if my parents bother to read this blog. I hope so, if only for my own well being.

Dear Readers: How about a quick health exam you can give a dog? It’s simple to do while grooming, petting or bathing your dog.

Run your hands over its head and body. Any new lumps or bumps? Observe the eyes, and check inside the ears and under the tail. Give the pet a good belly rub as you check the abdomen for hardness, swelling, lumps or bumps.

Other things to check:

• Shiny coat?

• Fur coming out other than normal shedding?

• Visible discharges from eyes, nose, ears or glands?

• Lift up the side of the mouth to check whether teeth are clean and gums are pink. Bad breath and discoloration of gums are not healthy.

• The nose should be wet without a discharge.

• Ear flaps should be pink.

A few minutes every month is all it takes. You probably will notice when something is not right. Be sure to tell the vet anything out of the ordinary to help avoid serious health problems.

Your Dog Wants To Go Swimming

You like swimming, and so do we.

Check out this great article Marina Johannsen from the Examiner.com

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Dogs Save Humans, Again

What would humans do without us? Well, I know one family who would be burning up inside if their neighbor hadn’t been smart enough to adopt a couple of quick thinking canines. Not that there are any other types of dogs…except for Deputy Dawg…he’s kinda slow thinkin’.

Anyway, read CBS 3’s account of our heroes in action.

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Dog Blessings…and I guess cats too.

I’m not a religious dog, but I am a spiritual one. I believe in a power greater than myself…and no I’m not talking about my owners.

Although I’m pretty sure I’ll be taken care of when I get on the other side of the pearly gates, there’s always a lingering doubt. Especially after I’ve escaped out of the yard or I’ve scarfed something down from the dining room table or if I let a little wee go in the house when my parents weren’t looking. That’s why any opportunity I get to increase my chances to talk with Pete, the saint, I’ll take.

And that’s where Father Robert Young comes in. No, not this Robert Young.  Check out his story from Tallahasee.com.

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Racism Spreads To Moose

Racism takes it latest victim. This time it’s white, Norwegian moose

 OSLO, Norway, Oct. 3 (UPI) — Some hunters in Norway are reported to have a rare albino moose in their sights.

The moose, with a white pelt that gives it a ghostlike or fairy tale quality, was first spotted south of Oslo two years ago, Aftenposten reported. Hunters have generally agreed to let the animal, nicknamed Albin, live in peace but that may no longer hold.

Asmund Fjellbakk, a local wildlife conservation officer, said he has heard some hunters think the white moose would make a splendid trophy.

“I heard about three to four weeks ago that the hunters are not going to protect the moose,” Fjellbakk told the Oslo newspaper VG. “I’ve been told this by private persons.”

The monthlong hunting season in Hedmark starts Sunday. Killing the albino moose is legal as long as it is done by a licensed hunter obeying the relevant laws.

Wildlife experts estimate the Norwegian moose population at 100,000, with 35,000 taken by hunters last year.

Let’s be honest, it was only a matter of time before white moose would be targeted. People have been eating chocolate moose for years.

Terminator Allows Sara Connor’s Dog In Front Seat

Nice move by the Terminator to allow my canine brethren to crawl around the inside of a car’s cabin without restraints.

It’s a positive step towards gaining equality but let’s be real, that ain’t gonna happen until I get my hands on a phased-plasma rifle in the forty watt range.

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Kiwi Saved By Pair of Dogs

Birchville resident Linda Fowler and her hairy heroes were flown to Christchurch to pick up the award on Friday at the New Zealand Kennel Club’s national dog show.The dogs saved the life of a woman who had spent a night lying semi-conscious on rocks after she slipped and fell below the Bridge Rd reservoir, north of Upper Hutt, in March.

No word on the amount of alcohol she had to drink.  Just kidding folks…read the whole story here at Stuff…or just read on.

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My What Big Saber Teeth You Have

No obnoxious commentary on this story.  I just post it to show you that dogs are loving creatures that accept all creatures great and small. We don’t judge.

CANEY, Kan. - A dog at a southeast Kansas zoo has adopted three tiger cubs abandoned by their mother. Safari Zoological Park owner Tom Harvey said the tiger cubs were born Sunday, but the mother had problems with them.

A day later, the mother stopped caring for them. Harvey said the cubs were wandering around, trying to find their birth mother, who wouldn’t pay attention to them. That’s when the cubs were put in the care of a golden retriever, Harvey said.

Harvey said it’s unusual for dogs to care for tiger cubs, but it does happen. He said he has seen reports of pigs nursing cubs in China, and he actually got the golden retriever after his wife saw television accounts of dogs caring for tiger cubs.

Puppies take about the same amount of time as tiger cubs to develop, and Harvey said the adoptive mother just recently weaned her own puppies.

“The timing couldn’t have been any better,” he said.

The mother doesn’t know the difference, Harvey said. He said the adopted mother licks, cleans and feeds the cubs.

Oh…she knows the difference.

Cocoa Mulch - Beware

If your owners use mulch in the yard, please have them read the below letter.  There’s danger in that there mulch they might be purchasing.  Buyer beware.

Over the weekend one of our friends experienced a tragedy with one of their dogs and wanted me to pass a special message along to all of our dog loving friends and family. Please tell every dog owner you know.

Over the weekend the doting owner of two young lab mixes purchased Cocoa Mulch from Target to use in their garden. They loved the way it smelled and it was advertised to keep cats away from their garden. Their dog, Calypso, decided that the mulch smelled good enough to eat and devoured a large helping. She vomited a few times which was typical when she eats something new but wasn’t acting lethargic in any way. The next day Mom woke up and took Calypso out for her morning walk. Half way through the walk, she had a seizure and died.

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Don’t Chew Gum

 For those of you that can walk and chew gum at the same time, here’s an article you must read.

WILMINGTON — An artificial sweetener can be deadly for dogs, and a local dog owner learned that the hard way.

Anna Frazelle rushed her dog, Scout, to the Dineen Animal Hospital when she noticed her King Charles Spaniel acting strange.

“He was using the wall to hold himself up,” said Frazelle.

She was shocked by the diagnosis of sugar free gum poisoning.

Sugar free gum contains Zylatol, a sugar substitute found in almost any sugar free food, which can be deadly for dogs.

Veterinarians said they are most often concerned about Zylatol contained in gum because one stick can kill a 20 pound dog.

“It makes the pancreas release a tremendous amount of insulin all at once, it puts the dog into extreme hypoglycemia and that’s where most dogs die, they die within the first hour,” said Dr. Jeff Dineen.

If you fear your dog has swallowed gum, but on the lookout for symptoms such as weakness and uncoordinated movements.

According to Dr. Dineen, ridding your dog’s system of the gum by vomiting is the first step in recovery.

Luckily, Scout eventually recovered.

For more information on Zylatol poisoning contact the ASPCA Animal Poison Control Center at 888-426-4435 or on the web, here.

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