June 17th 2006
EQUINE SPECIAL
Chicken Soup for the Horse Lover's
Soul II
Dr. Marty Becker
A hundred years ago the horse was
considered the F150 Pick-up. They worked the fields to earn their
keep. Today's horses are now seen in a different light. They
offer us unconditional love, are intuitive and even have healing
powers. In exchange for our love and companionship, horses
teach, heal us, protect us and guide us. 
Chicken Soup for the Horse Lovers Soul
II is filled with inspiring stories of rescue and rehabilitation,
heartbreaking losses, dedication and commitment, and positive
messages of responsibility and unconditional love.
http://www.DrMartyBecker.com
Kitty "Freud?"
Carole Wilbourn, Cat Therapist
A cat therapist is someone who
understands cats' underlying motivations and how to communicate
with them. Carole Wilbourn is a cat therapist and has been called
"the founding mother of feline psychotherapy" and "the
Feline Freud."
Carole
discusses depression in cats, what can bring it on and what to
do about it. And as with any behavior changes in an animal,
she advises that you take them to the veterinarian to rule out
any physical problems.
Carole's monthly column "Cats on
the Couch" appears on the In Defense of Animals web site.
IDA is an excellent national non-profit organization that works
"to protect the rights, welfare, and environments of animals."
http://www.theCatTherapist.com
Mystical Mythical Horses
Rae Ann Kumelos, Voice of the Animal
Pegasus, Nightmare, Epona, Rhiannan,
Isis, Poseidon and Cybele. From the seashore to the moon, discover
how these magical and mystical figures all have one animal in
common: Horse.
http://www.VoiceOfTheAnimal.org
High Blood Pressure In Pets
Dr. Jim Humphries, Veterinary News Network
Blood pressure measurements have
been a standard in human medicine for many years. Due to recent
advancements in blood pressure measurements for our pets, high
blood pressure is being diagnosed with more frequency during their
yearly exams. Initial readings may be high due to the pet's stress
and anxiety, and sometimes we call this "white coat hypertension,"
because they're in an unfamiliar surrounding. But this may be
reduced by letting the pet calm down in the veterinarian clinic
for a few hours. Hypertension in pets is usually an indication
of underlying kidney or heart disease, diabetes, or in cats hyperthyroidism.
Over time, hypertension damages vital organs including the eyes,
brain, heart and kidneys. Pets with hypertension may experience
a sudden loss of vision or deafness. Neurological signs may
include circling and a head tilt, or seizures. But, there are
a growing number of cases, particularly in cats where no underlying
cause is found for hypertension.
http://www.VetNewsNet.com
German Restaurant Allows Dogs but not
Kids
Britt Savage
A German restaurant has caused
a lot of animosity to come to the surface when it refused to seat
a woman who wanted to bring her two small children to dinner,
and yet it allows patrons to bring their dogs to sit with them
in the dining area.
Dogs are welcome at both lunch and dinner, the restaurant's owner has said, but "here, children are not allowed in the evening." Jana Schmid, 32, wanted to celebrate a christening at the "Boheme" restaurant at Augsburg with a party five adults and two small children. It is the only non-smoking eatery in the area.
Peter Degle, the owner of the "Boheme" and father of two, said he had to think of the interests of his regulars. "After a hard day's work they want some peace," he said. "Recently they have complained on several occasions about crying babies. During the day children are welcome but in the evening businessmen have priority and we wanted to spare them crying children."
Many people in the conservative Bavarian
town are supporting the restauranteur's decision.
The Horse Whisperer Monty Roberts - The Horses In My Life
Monty Roberts, a world-renowned
horse trainer and international best-selling author, is best known
as 'The Man Who Listens to Horses." He is also known as
"The Horse Whisperer," made famous by the Robert Redford
film and Nicholas Evans book. He has spent his whole life working
with horses - schooling them, listening to them, and learning
their equine language. The essence of his training techniques
is non-violence. Rather than break his horses he "gentles"
them. With over 1500 demonstrations of his "gentling"
techniques performed on 6,000 horses in 22 countries, Monty's
message, "Violence is never the answer," is being listened
to as never before. Listen as he tells his incredible story.
http://www.MontyRoberts.com
A Love Affair with Horses
Susan Richards, Chosen by a Horse
Susan Richards did not have
the ideal childhood. Her mother passed away when she was five
and then her father disappeared. Susan was subsequently separated
from her brother and passed around from one relative to another
most of her life.
When Susan responded to the call from the SPCA to help rescue a horse, she did not hesitate. Susan had several horses already and could add one more. But, as when choosing an animal companion, you don't always make the choice sometimes they do! Susan originally planned on bringing another horse home, but this horse, Lay Me Down, seemed to choose her.
The bond that developed with this horse
helped Susan with feelings and emotions she had hidden since the
death of her mother. Unfortunately, Lay Me Down was ill and this
forced Susan to not only face her feelings about dealing with
medical issues (she had seen enough of that as a child watching
her mother die) but to also let go of her anger and grief and
remember the love she once had.
http://www.sohopress.com/books/chosen_horse.html
Talk With Your Animals
Joy Turner
Cindy's 2 and 1/2 year old dog, Makana, has been having monthly
seizures since he was one. Makana says that his head hurts really
bad just before a seizure. He advises his guardian to change
his diet and cut out all grains. Joy recommends the guardian
to contact Optimum Choices regarding a supplement called Bio Preparation,
which helps balance the body chemistry which in turn also balances
the brain chemistry. They can be reached at 866-305-2306.
http://www.TalkWithYourAnimals.com
What Happens When a Horse Breaks His
Leg?
Dr. Kimberly May, AVMA
Most people have heard about the
racehorse Barbaro who broke his right rear leg during a race.
A broken bone in a horse is much different than it would be
for a cat or a dog. For one thing, the horse's weight is considerably
greater. Also, cat and dog legs are much more like humans with
a greater bone structure and toes. For a horse, it can take approximately
4 months for the bones to heal with a break like this. Lucky
for Barbaro, his wound did not break the skin, and his guardians
are able to afford the tens of thousands of dollars it will cost
to make fix his leg.
There is some speculation from humane
organizations and animal rights groups that these horses are too
young and should not be raced.
http://www.AVMA.org
Tails from the Road
Tracie Hotchner, THE DOG BIBLE
Tracie comes to us live from the Greenwich Kennel Club Dog
Show, with 1,732 competitors and 136 breeds.
http://www.TheDogBible.com
Our Relationships with Horses
Melisa Pierce, Touched by a Horse
Horse have helped Melissa learn to live in
the moment. They help people increase the intuition, and they
also pick up on your emotional state. A horse can be a great
pet for a child, just make sure the child is old enough to be
able to physical control the horse and understand its strengths.
Melisa has created a fun and easy way
to learn about ourselves through our interactions with horses.
Inspired by the bold equine painting of artist Jan Taylor, Melisa
translated what the painting portrayed and intuitively wrote the
"message" the horses were expressing. The combined talents
of these women brings you an exquisite deck of 52 original works
of art with one of a kind inspirational messages. By using these
cards daily, you will be inspired, enlightened and encouraged
to continue your journey called life.
http://www.TouchedByAHorse.com
Cats to Compete in Reality TV Show
in New York
Ten cats in search of owners will
spend the next 10 days in a New York store window, their every
move caught on camera for a reality TV show on which they will
compete for best sleeper and mouse-catcher.
The show is the creation of a pet food company and will be shown on cable channel Animal Planet, as well as on the Web site www.MeowMixHouse.com where viewers will be asked to vote off one feline contestant each day.
The cats, chosen from shelters around the country, will compete for loudest purr, most prolific sleeper and who can catch the most toy mice. Kitties who get the boot will be adopted into permanent homes.
Passerby taking a gander though a specially rented storefront on Madison Avenue in midtown Manhattan can watch the cats lazing about a luxuriously outfitted cat-sized house that includes scaled-down sofas, beds, a fish tank (with fake fish), kitchen and a porch, all put together by an interior designer.
A cat named Sam, from Dallas, Texas, stood guard on the home's welcome mat while Romeo, a Los Angeles native, lazily stretched out his six-toed paws before swatting a toy.
In the tradition of reality shows, the company will hire the top cat as "Feline Vice President of Research and Development," responsible for taste testing and product feedback.
Biographies of the cats play up their personalities, but in reality, they're all pretty mellow, if not a bit dazed from all the attention.
"In real life they're all very sweet,"
said Meow Mix's Keith Fernbach. "But we try to give them
a personality for TV."
http://www.MeowMixHouse.com
How Flies Walk on Ceilings
Walking upside-down requires a careful balance
of adhesion and weight, and specialized trekking tools to combat
the constant tug of gravity. Each fly foot has two fat footpads
that give the insect plenty of surface area with which to cling.
The adhesive pads on the feet come equipped with tiny hairs that
have spatula-like tips.
Scientists once thought that the curved shape of the hairs suggested that flies used them to grip onto the ceiling. In fact, the hairs produce a glue-like substance made of sugars and oils. Flies need sticky feet to walk on ceilings, but not so sticky that they get stuck upside down. So each foot comes with a pair of claws that help hoist the gooey foot off the wall. Flies use several different techniques to get unstuck: pushing, twisting, and peeling its footpads free.
Lessons for robofly.
Following in the fly's footsteps, robots are on their way to climbing walls. On the bottom of the feet of a 3-ounce robot that's all legs, scientists tacked on a sticky, furry manmade material that resembles the hairy surface of a fly foot. The researchers also taught the robot how to gently peel its foot off a glass wall, just like a demure insect.
Sea Otter
Mike Fry, Animal Ark Animal
Shelter and Host of Animal Wise Radio
Mike Fry shares a magic moment
in his life with a wild sea otter.
http://www.AnimalArkShelter.org
Listen to the 1/2 Hour ABRIDGED VERSION Podcast of this show (#342).
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