An Emasculating Rooster
Brian McGrory, Buddy

Brian McGrory, a bachelor who lived in the city, once had a great Golden Retriever named Harry who unfortunately passed away too young at 10 years of age. But when Harry was alive, he introduced Brian to his lifelong veterinarian, Pam Bendock.

Brian ultimately fell in love and gave up his city life to move to the suburbs with Pam and her two young daughters. No doubt this meant an adjustment, but the biggest adjustment was not only getting along with all of her pets, but a particular rooster named Buddy.

Buddy was the result of an elementary school science fair project, where they incubated eggs and watched them hatch. Buddy was an adorable little yellow fuzzy chick that was constantly handled and loved on by Pam and her daughters. However, the chick soon grew up and turned out to be a rooster instead of a hen.

Buddy loved Pam and her two daughters, but hated Brian's guts! In Buddy's defense, Brian doesn't feel he ever understood the point of him being there. Buddy was already ruling his roost, so he didn't need some pathetic little man there, trying to do the same thing. This put Brian as the second most popular guy in the household.

Brian says you draw lessons from funny places and as he was adjusting to life in suburbia, dealing with all of the drama from a house of all women, Buddy taught him commitment. Buddy was so darn committed to everything he had in the house and his yard, but wasn't concerned with anything going on outside of his fence line; he was just completely satisfied with his world.

While Brian feels that there won't be any more roosters in his life, at some point there might be some hens in his future, which is okay with him!

Brian then felt he would be better off if he were just a little more like Buddy and has documented their time together in his new book, Buddy.

http://www.randomhouse.com

Key To Lifelong Joint Health
Dr. Steven Allday, LubriSyn

Dr. Steven Allday is not your ordinary equine veterinarian. His special expertise is in demand from Churchill Downs to Saratoga, from Hollywood Park to Calder, from Pimlico across the pond to Newmarket and Curragh.

Dr. Allday is also the founder and CEO of Halstrum, LLC. Halstrum's products, LubriSyn and LubriSyn CA, are the equine industry leaders in the exploding supplements market. After years of injecting, and continuing to inject horses' joints at the track, Dr. Allday discovered and developed an oral formula of HA (Hyaluronan acid).

HA is a naturally occurring lubricant that helps cushion every joint in the body. This not only goes for horses, but also for people and dogs. The higher quality that this fluid is maintained, the better the joints are.

Age and exercise degrade joint fluid, which is a symptom of osteoarthritis. Over time you don't produce as much HA. Dr. Allday felt if you replaced it naturally, you would get better relief. LubriSyn replenishes natural HA to help keep joints mobile and healthy, with a convenient oral administration.

LubriSyn's formula for dogs can be put right on top of their food daily. It makes a huge difference in their life because it is a natural way to improve the fluid in the joint. With LubriSyn you get a good anti-inflammatory response and you can basically slow down the degenerative process once it has started. The good part is that it helps resolves some of the symptoms of osteoarthritis, and doesn't just cover up the symptoms like regular anti-inflammatories.

But you don't have to wait until you see physical symptoms in your dog. You can start your dog on LubriSyn as a puppy to maintain their joints throughout life as they age.

Visit www.lubrisyn.com and get 25% off your first order with the code "ANIMAL RADIO."

The Dogfather's Grooming Tip with Joey Villani

Grooming A Cat
Joey recently received an email from a woman who jut got a kitten for Christmas. Her question to Joey was if she could brush and comb her kitten just like she would a dog? The answer is yes!

If you are dealing with a shorthaired animal, whether it is a dog or a cat, you will use a rubber curry brush and a comb. Short hair is anything less than a half an inch long.

For medium-haired animals, you are going to use a slicker brush and a comb. Medium hair is anything from a half inch to an inch in length.

For long, flowing hair without knots, you are going to use a pin brush and a comb. Long hair is anything over an inch long.

You will use a comb on all types of hair, but depending upon the length of the hair, you will adjust the brush you will use.

When you first get a kitten or a puppy, the best thing to do is to start brushing them immediately. This will get them used to grooming. If you wait until they are older to start grooming them, they may or may not accept it.

If you just want to spruce up you cat's hair, or if they have a slight odor, throw some cornstarch or baking soda in their hair and brush it through. If you do this, you will probably never have to bathe your cat.

Joey also gives us a little tip and tells us that dogs have a "coat" and cats have "fur." He also tells us that groomer charge more to groom cats, because they add a "hazard" fee because cats are notoriously harder to groom!

Animal Radio® News with Stacey Cohen

Does Your Dog Know You? I Mean Really Know You?
A certain bark, a certain posture, a certain look. But did you know your dog can tell a lot about you as well? Veterinarian Dr. Stu Robson from Fox Creek Veterinary Hospital says what your dog might know about you. They know when you're being unfair, to some extent. Researchers found that when dogs saw other dogs getting treats for a trick they'd been performing unrewarded, the uncompensated dogs became visibly distressed. They can tell when your priorities shift. When you bring a baby home from the hospital, your pet probably won't be the focus of your undivided attention anymore. And guess what? He'll pick up on that pretty quickly. It can even lead to depression. They understand when you're mad. You know that "puppy dog" look you get after giving him some discipline? He definitely senses you're annoyed, crouches down, whines, whimpers. But don't mistake this behavior as showing remorse. The "guilty look" didn't necessarily correspond to the dogs who had actually been naughty. They sense your fear. Dogs read the world by reading us. If you act cautiously and back away, they probably will too. They can tell if you're generous. Believe it or not, dogs are watching and listening to your social interactions with other humans and taking notes. So beware, your dog may judge your personality while you yell at your husband or kids. They sniff out sickness. A slew of fascinating research shows that many diseases, like lung cancer and prostate cancer, cause the body to give off odors that dogs are able to detect. A dog's nose is between 1,000 and 10,000 times better than a human being's

Pets Need Extra Monitoring In Winter
Some pets, such as reptiles or tropical fish, may be temperature sensitive to cold air. Pay attention to room temperatures to ensure that these pets don't get chilled. Roaming cats like warm cars. Cats may climb onto vehicle engines seeking warmth during cold weather. Severe, sometimes fatal injury can result from being struck by a moving fan belt. Be sure to knock on or check under the hood before starting your vehicle. Honk the horn to startle any pets that may have sought shelter underneath your vehicle. Be aware of icy conditions. Pet escapes seem to rise during the winter months when pets may become frightened by changes in routine and activity and overwhelmed by friends and family stopping by to visit. Dogs lose most of their body heat from their paw pads, ears and through respiration. If your dog is comfortable in clothing, a sweater or coat with a high collar or a turtleneck that covers your dog from the tail to tummy are ideal. Booties can help protect against paw pads from bleeding because of a coating of snow or ice.

Do I Need To Brush My Dog's Teeth?
Yes! Home dental care is one of the best ways to help keep your pet's teeth and gums healthy. Start as early as possible in your canine friend's life so he or she will become accustomed to having the mouth handled. Use a moistened, soft, pet or child's toothbrush, finger toothbrush, gauze around a finger, or a cotton swab. Pet toothpaste is your best option. Stay away from human toothpaste, baking soda or salt. Use gentle brushing motions to clean the teeth and gums, as you would your own.

Vodka Saves Elephants
Vodka is being credited for saving the life of two elephants in Siberia, Russia. According to Russia's RIA News, the circus truck transporting two Indian elephants, Jenny and Magda, caught fire in minus 40-degree Celsius temperatures. The truck was forced to stop and handlers had to release the elephants. At first, the handlers jogged around the truck with Jenny and Magda so they didn't freeze. But that wasn't enough to stave off the cold. One quick-thinking handler then ran to a nearby village and bought two cases of vodka. The keepers mixed the liquor with water before serving it to the pachyderms. A local official says they "Roared like it was jungle" once they drank the alcohol. He adds the imbibing elephants "Must have been happy." The animals were eventually moved into a heated garage nearby, but they didn't escape unscathed. The elephants suffered frostbite on their ears and legs but the injuries were not serious. One of their handlers was also stricken with frostbite. He had to be hospitalized.

Spidery Surprise Of Black Widows
Dockworkers in Norfolk, England got a spidery surprise when they opened up a shipping container infested with hundreds of deadly black widow spiders. According to The Mirror, the insects are believed to have hatched inside a crate shipping tires from Arizona to England. The stowaway spiders then used the 5,000-mile trip to overtake the container. Workers were searching the container for wildlife when they spotted the arachnids. They quickly sealed the container and called pest control services to eliminate them. Mark Cook, a spokesman for the shipping firm, pointed out that black widows have a bad reputation, but their bite is rarely deadly.

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