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Posted By Nancy Houser on February 8, 2010
Now that the big NFL game is over and New Orleans is still partying, nobody but the dogs are resting this special celebration day of winter — that includes the Saints and those on Bourbon street. With most New Orleans offices closed the day after the big game and more to follow during the big Mardi Gra, here are some photos of the pleasures of dogs in winter after the big game and party-times!
Posted By Nancy Houser on February 8, 2010
When we watch our dogs suffering with arthritis, our heart goes out to them — especially if we ourselves are suffering from the same joint disease. Arthritis in dogs is one of the main causes of chronic pain in them, a painful inflammation of a specific joint area which affects their quality of life.
The dog’s fundamental arthritic joint cannot be changed once arthritis sets in, with cushioned joints and soft tissue mass involved. And more than any other time of the year, winter is especially hard on people and dogs who have been diagnosed with this painful disease even though research has not supported this theory.
By the time a dog reaches 7 to 10 years of age, they have more than a 60% chance of developing arthritis. This is a process which is impossible to prevent in aging dogs but many factors are involved in younger dogs who are diagnosed with it — diet, obesity, lack of exercise, poor breeding background, genetics, joints which have been injured, and related diseases.
By being aware of what is involved in your dog’s genetics and obtaining information about arthritis, prevention or a reduction of the arthritis in young dogs can be obtained. But reading and researching will lessen the pain involved in arthritis in dogs during the winter, like warm pads or blankets on cold bare floors or uncarpeted areas. Non-steroidal anti-inflammatory pain medications (NSAIDs) provide quick pain and inflammation relief associated with arthritis. NSAIDs are pain medications and require a prescription from your veterinarian.
The famous Dinshah color therapy treatments suggest several tonations for dogs with arthritis: (1) for the common acute osteoarthritis or RA, use the green and magenta systems on the affected area, followed by blue or indigo; (2) for chronic osteoarthritis or RA, use lemon and magenta systems on the affected area, followed by turquoise and/indigo lights for the dog’s painful arthritic joints with orange to areas of bone atrophy.
Hydrotherapy is the application of water on the affected area of arthritic dogs. The pressure is not strong but used as a gentle massage with an low to medium water flow. When the application is complete, towel dry gently until the area not wet anymore — followed by the rubbing of arnica tincture into the area.
The worse thing for arthritis in dogs during the winter is lying on a cold hard surface as it irritates the joints. There are orthopedic pet beds for arthritic dogs, regular pet beds, beds made with foam rubber shaped like egg crates. But basically, any bed type which will cushion the dog’s body and insulate its body and joints from the cold hard floor will work.
There are many types of therapy anymore for arthritis in dogs during the winter and any other time the dog has pain from arthritis, RA, hip or elbow dysplasia, bursitis and any other related condition..
Understanding arthritis in dogs
Dog arthritis: Signs and Symptoms
Posted By Nancy Houser on February 5, 2010
Snuggling in the cold of winter help has helped mankind survive over the years. Meanwhile pet owners snuggle with their pets to share companionship and caring, while the winter warmth of puppies and kittens is for both — warmth and companionship.
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Posted By Nancy Houser on February 2, 2010
H.R. 3501—“HAPPY” Act
Sponsor: Rep. Thaddeus McCotter (R-MI)
Action Needed: Write to your U.S. representative today to urge him or her to support and cosponsor the HAPPY Act, H.R. 3501.
U.S. Representative Thaddeus McCotter has introduced the Humanity and Pets Partnered Through the Years (“HAPPY”) Act, legislation to allow individuals to claim tax deductions for qualified pet care expenses. The bill would allow any taxpayer who legally owns one or more domesticated animals to take an annual income tax deduction of up to $3,500 for pet care expenses, including veterinary care costs.
Pet care can be expensive—and in these trying economic times, families all over the country have been forced to give up their pets because of financial hardship. The HAPPY Act is important because it will help Americans provide their pets with the medical attention and quality of life they deserve, while also ensuring that more pets get to remain in their loving homes and don’t wind up on the streets or in the already overburdened shelter system.
What You Can Do
Use the letter at ASPCA to email your U.S. representative now and urge him or her to support and cosponsor the HAPPY Act, H.R. 3501! Please keep in mind that personal comments strengthen the impact of your letter.
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Posted By Nancy Houser on February 1, 2010
When we think of puppies, kittens and baby rabbits, we think of spring and warm weather. But winter puppies are just as adorable, even though they are born during the coldest time of the year in many locations. Here are some photos of winter puppies of all ages and types who were born in the winter.
Posted By Nancy Houser on February 1, 2010
While Americans like dogs, they love hounds. Among the most popular breed of hound dog is the Dachshund, also sometimes referred to as the “Weiner Dog” or “Hot Dog Dog” due to their elongated shape. Easy to spot by their trademark short legs and long body, Dachshunds are a playful and loyal breed. Finding Dachshunds for sale is a great way to bring a canine companion into your home.
Based on mummified Dachshund-like dogs found in Cairo, some experts speculate that the breed’s origins extend all the way back to ancient Egypt. More modern references place the breed’s beginnings in 17th century Germany, where the dogs were bred to dig into badger holes to help eliminate the pests.
They were also commonly used for hunting smaller game like rabbits and foxes. Their association with Germany made Dachshunds less popular in the U.S. during World Wars I and II, but the breed has since returned in popularity, ranking seventh according to 2008 American Kennel Club statistics.
Standard size Dachshunds typically weigh between 16-32 pounds, while miniatures weigh 15 pounds or less. They come in short-haired, long-haired, and wire-haired varieties, and can be single-colored, spotted, or patterned in color. Depending on the length of their coat, Dachshunds can require anywhere from little maintenance (short-haired) to regular grooming (long and wire-haired).
When looking at Dachshunds for sale, it is important to understand their temperament. The breed is generally considered playful and good with children as long as they have proper supervision. They love to chase anything from small animals and birds to tennis balls. Dachshunds are sometimes regarded as stubborn, so they may need extra care with house training. They are very loyal, but their tendency to bark at strangers can become a nuisance, so proper training is important.
Written by PennySaverUSA.com. Visit us online to find dogs, including Dachshunds for sale in your area.
Posted By Nancy Houser on January 28, 2010
As hideous as it is to place baked dog on our tables is in the United States, the Asian countries consider it a common part of their culture with slaughtering dogs in the common sector acceptable.
“We need to alert both the general public and clinicians about the risks around butchering and handling meat,” says Dr Heiman Wertheim, from the National Institute of Infectious and Tropical Diseases and the National Institute of Hygiene and Epidemiology in Hanoi, Viet Nam.
“People should not handle animals that may be infected with rabies. Rabies can be prevented with a vaccine and people exposed to rabies can be helped with post-exposure prophylaxis, but this needs to be administered as quickly as possible following the exposure. Once a person shows symptoms, the disease is almost invariably fatal. (Science News)
Picture by Reuters
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At the South East Asian Infectious Diseases Clinical Research Network, they have discovered a potentially lethal risk connected with preparing dog meat. That connection is rabies, with the findings published in the open access journal PLoS Medicine.
In the publication, Dr Heiman Wertheim and colleagues from the National Institute of Infectious and Tropical Diseases and the National Institute of Hygiene and Epidemiology in Hanoi, Viet Nam, have reported on two patients admitted to hospital showing signs of rabies infection with neither patient was thought to have been bitten by a rabid animal in the preceding months.
Considered a disease which is considered quite fatal, rabies has killed approximately over 30,000 Asians with numbers increasing in China for human cases of rabies at a rapid rate. Recognizing rabies in a person includes agitation, severe spasms, fever, fear of water and inability to drink liquids, and eventually death.
Data from 22,527 human rabies cases from January 1990 to July 2007 were obtained from a surveillance database from the Ministry of Health of China. The authors found that human rabies was under control from 1990 to 1996, when only 159 cases of rabies were reported, but this figure had leapt to 3279 cases in 2006. (Science Daily)
Humans are usually infected after being bitten by an infected animal such as a dog or bat, but more and more research shows this connection may occur with consumed dog meat, a common diet in China, Korea, Philippines, Vietnam, Laos, Cambodia, Thailand, and Mayanmar if the dog has rabies.
MORE INFORMATION
Eating dogs: animal abuse or cultural gap?
What’s Wrong with Eating Dog Meat?
Comment of article: “Cultural differences abound around this world and for you to show a lack of respect to another culture is wrong on so many levels. Your view that the dog as a species should not be eaten is your cultural biase, just as is not eating horse although the Europeans find horse meat very good to eat.
This animal rights business is an attempt to put people not on a higher plane or even a level plane with animals who will eat anything, but at a lower level by telling this species the human species that it cannot eat anything but plants. You attempt to make people feel emotionally guilty that they eat meat by selling the public on sentient being theory. But what are you going to do when you use pain as a line in the sand for what we can and cannot eat. It is not a good standard since it does not take into account the needs of human beings and it is a false one because based upon that standard we can and have proved that plants feel pain. They scream upon the approach of the knife and scream louder when cut.
Just because it takes a special sound detection system for the human being to hear it does not mean plants do not feel pain or know pain is coming which my friend is more than the animal knows and understands. It is your belief system and this article is about controlling what others believe by implying rare occurrances are common in eating such meat. It is all about not eating sick or down animals is the real point.
This is basically a new religion and not everyone believes in it. The real problem for America is the hero adrenaline junkies who are “rescuing” feral dogs from other countries that have rabies and other parasites not found in the US. They bring these rabid or diseased dogs back to this country and place them with families.”
Posted By Nancy Houser on January 27, 2010
“For the love of Husky dogs” involves photos of the beautiful Siberian Huskies and Alaskan Huskies, the most common of the Husky dogs. But also included on the Husky list are the Alaskan Malamute, the Mackenzie River Husky, Sakhalan Husky, and the Greenland Husky.
The Alaskan Husky is a wonderful dog used for sledding, while the Siberian breed is more of a pet as long as lots of research is done before getting one. Uncomfortable in the warmer climates due to their excessively heavy coats, these dogs with multi-colored eyes (known as heterochromia) are loved by many but are definitely not a dog for everyone.
