April 7th 2007

Pet Food Recall Conspiracy by President Bush?
Kenneth Andrew Bell
This pet food recall is staged. Never announce it...though watch exactly who benefits financially and politically from this kind of event and premeditation. As time goes by you will see silly regulations appear that should never be there...and watch exactly who benefits or calls the shots financially. Were any of these companies or entities that WILL benefit from this, recently purchased by investors that had political ties to the Bush administration and the pet industry? There are quite a few when you do just a little research. This is another premeditation event conjured by politics and businesses with total contempt for the animals and their American Citizen owners.

Look how quickly we found the potential source for the possible poisoning? It was like 9/11 when we had within hours pictures of every single highjacker and their real names plastered on every screen in the world. This administration is sick. Using animals and pets as "weapons" against their owners is a very real tactic enjoyed by this administration. If you have a rooster that is on your property that "looks uncomfortable"...that reason gives the Human Society POLICE POWER to close down any pet business or any homeowner and all of their pets at any time. (Pinellas County Humane Society director Barbara Snow on TV interviews with video and sound March 07.
http://www.CutePetGazette.com

Dogs to Exchange Bow-Wow Vows in Mock Ceremony
Jill Kobe, Aspen Grove's GM
A first-of-its kind mass doggy wedding will take place on May 19, 2007 at the Aspen Grove Lifestyle Center in Littleton, Colorado. The event is a fundraiser for the Denver Dumb Friends League.

Betrothed pooches of all shapes and sizes are expected at the service, which is hoping to draw about 300 canines. A solid turnout and a new record in the Guinness Book of World Records could be set.

Lawyers will not be on hand to pen poochie pre-nups, but dogs that don't have a partner can participate in a round of speed dating before the ceremony to find the perfect mate.
http://www.shopaspengrove.com

National Pet First-Aid Awareness Month
Denise Fleck, Sunny-dog Ink
Although Sunny had been adopted into a loving home, her time as a stray left her with a compulsion to never pass up a free meal. One morning her "mom" (me) awoke to find the 80-pound Labrador with all four paws on the kitchen countertop and her snout in a no-longer-covered bowl of chocolate kisses. Luckily this pet parent's timing saved the day and only a few of the chocolate morsels were consumed by the mischievous canine. The dog suffered only a scolding, but a much smaller dog might have experienced rapid heartbeat, vomiting, seizures and even death.

Each year, thousands of pets needlessly suffer and many die from ingesting common household foods as well as from injuries and sudden illness. Knowing what to do during those first few moments can truly make a difference between life and death for your pet. According to the American Animal Hospital Association (AAHA), one out of four additional pets could be saved if just one Pet First-Aid technique was applied prior to getting veterinary help.

Pet First-Aid is the FIRST step (and often the most critical) in a line of treatments before complete medical attention can be administered. The most accomplished Veterinarian will not be able to bring your dog or cat back to life once they have died, but by knowing Pet CPR, YOU can keep their heart and lungs working until professional medical help is available. If you know how to treat your pet for Heat Stroke, you can prevent brain damage and death. If you learn how to bandage a Wound, you can stop bleeding and prevent infection. If you learn how to alleviate Choking, you can prevent your pet from losing consciousness, andif you learn how to properly induce vomiting, you can expel poison and save your pet's life! Fortunately Sunny didn't need such drastic measures over the chocolate that day, but the incident made me want to be prepared in case Sunny, or any of the six canines who have since crossed our threshold, needed help, so I learned these important skills and have been teaching them since 1999.

Even if you have taken a human First-Aid course, pet-specific training is essential since we can't ask our dog or cat, "Where does it hurt?" or "What did you eat out of the trash?" Student and Pet Sitter Kate Ahrens summed it up best when she said, "The last thing you want is to wish you HAD taken a Pet First-Aid & CPR Class."

Don't put off what you can do in April! Take part in National Pet First-Aid Awareness Month and become your dog or cat's hero! Free presentations and four-hour classes will be offered throughout the month of April. For more information, contact Sunny-dog Ink at (818) 951-7962 or visit www.sunnydogink.com

Fat Pets is a Poor Prognosis
Dr. Jim Humphries, Veterinary News Network
The saying goes that pets look like their owners. Well these days that old adage holds true more than ever, as the obesity epidemic expands to our cats and dogs. Obesity is a very significant problem in dogs and cats, says veterinarian Scott Allen Brown, head of the small animal medicine department at the University of Georgia in Athens. About 1 in 5 to 1 in 3 animals are overweight or obese. Rocky and Fluf are born to be scavengers, but today they don't have to stop their prey or scrounge for a meal. We see large numbers of domesticated pets being fed very high quality food, but they live very sedentary lives with limited exercise, says Brown. Quite honestly, it is analogous to what we see in their pet owners. Lassie earned her chow by working on the farm and rescuing Timmy, but pets today are born retired.

About half of all overweight pet owners can't identify their pet as such. So owners need to monitor their pets weight by sight, touch and weigh-ins about 4 times a year. Dogs should have a slight indentation like a waist when they stand and when they are viewed from overhead. Cats and smaller dogs can be weighed at home. Simply get on the scale with your pet in your arms then subtract your own weight from that total. Check with your veterinarian to see if the weight is within a healthy range for your pet.
http://www.VetNewsNet.com

Ninja Turtles In; Pet Turtles Out
Beth Preiss, Dir. Of Exotic Pets Campaign HSUS
Anticipating the return of "Turtlemania" with Friday's release of "TMNT," the latest in the series of Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles movies, The Humane Society of the United States is urging moviegoers not to buy live turtles.

The HSUS is trying to prevent a repeat of 1990, when the release of the first Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles movie resulted in increased sales of pet turtles. Sales of small turtles, which are defined by law as animals with shells less than four inches long, are illegal in the United States. The prohibition has been in effect since 1975 to help prevent the spread of Salmonella. The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) estimates the ban has prevented 100,000 children from getting Salmonella infections each year.

Because of the disease risk, the CDC recommends that turtles be kept out of homes with children under five years old, pregnant women, senior citizens and people with weakened immune systems. Even indirect contact can spread the disease because Salmonella can live on surfaces for days.

Despite the danger of Salmonella, illegal turtle sales may be on the rise. In recent months, The HSUS has seen small turtles illegally for sale at malls, a flea market and over the Internet.

"Sales of pet turtles are dangerous for human health, animal welfare, and the environment," says Beth Preiss, director of the exotic pets campaign for The HSUS. "Turtles won't survive in a plastic dish with a palm tree, but with decent care they can live for decades, outgrowing their tanks and outlasting childhood interest."

Although they may be marketed as low-maintenance pets, turtles have complex needs that are difficult to meet in captivity. Many turtles die due to rough handling during transport or inadequate care afterwards. Unwanted turtles released outdoors may die; if they survive they can spread disease to native species and out-compete them for resources.

"In general pets should not be impulse purchases," adds Preiss. "Moviegoers should enjoy the Ninja Turtles on the screen, but in the real world we hope they will avoid buying turtles as pets."

Consumers who see illegal turtle sales can report them to the Food and Drug Administration (FDA), which enforces the law. Contact information can be found at: www.fda.gov/opacom/backgrounders/complain.html .
http://www.HSUS.org

Time to Discard Descartes
Rae Ann Kumelos, Voice of the Animal
The 17th century philosopher of Rene Descartes toward the animal world has had horrific long-range effects on the way society has treated animals. From factory farms to product testing, animals are still treated as machines based upon this philosophy of bad science and incorrect assumptions. But, things are changing. Learn how the language of rats, monkeys and whales is shaping the philosophy of the future.
http://www.VoiceOfTheAnimal.org

Do Animals Enjoy Life?
Jonathan Balcombe, Ph.D., Pleasurable Kingdom: Animals and the Nature of Feeling Good
The recognition of animal pain and stress, once controversial, is now acknowledged by legislation in many countries, but there is no formal recognition of animals' ability to feel pleasure. Pleasurable Kingdom is the first book for lay-readers to present new evidence that animals--like humans--enjoy themselves. It debunks the popular perception that life for most is a continuous, grim struggle for survival and the avoidance of pain. Instead it suggests that creatures from birds to baboons feel good thanks to play, sex, touch, food, anticipation, comfort, aesthetics, and more. Combining rigorous evidence, elegant argument and amusing anecdotes, leading animal behavior researcher Jonathan Balcombe proposes that the possibility of positive feelings in creatures other than humans has important ethical ramifications for both science and society.
http://www.ovc.uoguelph.ca/associations/awc/2005/Balcombe.html

Do Cats Think and Feel?
Annie Bruce, Good Cats Wear Black
There is so much evidence that cats think and feel and that they're even psychic. That's why the church outlawed them for 100's of years because cats are able to predict weather, including rain and earthquakes. Back in the old days, prediction of any kind was considered to be related to the Devil or working with Satan. Also, a good percentage of cats and dogs are able to predict when their owners are returning home. How do they do this?
http://www.GoodCatsWearBlack.com

Do Dogs Think and Feel?
Dr. Stanley Coren ­ How Dogs Think: What the World Looks Like to Them and Why They Act the Way They Do
Bestselling author, psychologist, and world-renowned expert on dog behavior and training Dr. Stanley Coren presents the most informative, in-depth, fascinating book yet on dogs with numerous funny, informative anecdotes, experiments, and firsthand observations. It lets you see through a dog's eyes, hear through his ears, and even sense the world through his nose. How Dogs Think also answers questions about our canine companions that have puzzled many: Do dogs feel guilt? Do they have an appreciatio n of art or music? Can a dog learn how to do something just by watching another dog or even a person do it? Do dogs dream? What is the nature of dog personality? Which behaviors are prewired into your dog, and which can you actually change? And, can dogs actually sense future earthquakes or detect cancer? Find out the answers to these questions and more.
http://www.StanleyCoren.com

Monkey See/Monkey Do
Britt Savage
A study has shown that Chimpanzees can learn from other chimpanzees with human absence. When a group of Chimpanzees were taught a task and later put with other chimpanzees, those chimpanzees observed and mimicked the actions of the original chimpanzees, without being taught directly.
http://www.BrittSavage.com

Better Behaved Pets?
Dr. Jim Humphries, Veterinary News Network
People with anxious pets eagerly seek out anything that might reduce the barking, howling, chewing and house soiling. Many have tried the recently introduced products containing pheromones. These are sprays and plug-ins aimed at calming anxious pets. Separation anxiety affects 15% of the nation's 74 million dogs. Separation anxiety also affects cats, although it's not as noticeable, as cats tend to be less noisy and destructive when they express anxiety. Veterinarians see a lot of dogs with separation anxiety, and firework and thunderstorm phobias. Anxiety is an underlying issue in a significant portion of aggression also. So just how much do these pheromone based products help? It's debatable. Used in combination with behavior modification and on selected cases, they may have some usefulness. Could pheromone therapy help your pet?
http://www.VetNewsNet.com

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