The Wonder of Children and Animals Together

Tags : Animals, blog hop, bunnies, Cats, Children, Dogs, Goats, Horses, Life with Dogs, Mineature Horses

The Common Thread

Tags : Cats, Dogs, Horses, kittens, love, Puppies, sheep, wildlife

What Animals Teach Use Everyday

Father’s Day is Coming – Surpise Dad!

Vistaprint – 6 Free Gifts for Every Dad – Make him something special with pictures of his furry babies!

Father’s Day is right around the corner and that means it’s time to honor dear old dad. What better way to celebrate than with 6 FREE products from Vistaprint?

You can start with 250 FREE Business Cards. Choose from 45 stylish designs and receive in as few as three days.

Made from 100% cotton, Vistaprint T-shirts are comfortable and perfect for adding fun, personal messages and photos.

Serve dad some fun with one of our 11 oz. ceramic mugs! Feature family photos and personal messages that are sure to make him smile with every sip.

Mouse pads are just the place for displaying that personal touch to a dad’s office. Choose from hundreds of designs and add your own photo, logo or message.

A flip book captures memories like nothing else. Showcase family vacations and other special occasions to share with family and friends.

Make your dad’s next desk calendar do more than just remind him of daily tasks to complete. Make him smile with a collage of personal photos including all of your pets.

Shipping Costs:
Flipbook- $6.16
T-shirt- $4.41
Mug – $5.67
Business Cards: $5.67
Mouse Pad- $4.41
Desk Calendar- $5.79

http://enlnks.com/aff_c?offer_id=261&aff_id=992

Tags : Father's Day Gifts, Vistaprint

It’s Spring for these Springy Goats

Tags : baby goats, Kids, pgymy goats

Here’s a Mother’s Day Idea for Pet Mommies!

Think Mother’s DAY! for the Pet Mommy in your household. They’ll love a canvas of their favorite furry girl or guy.

A free photo canvas is a great gift idea. Canvas Peoples gives you a canvas with family memories on it! The Canvas People offer gives your visitors a free 8×10 photo canvas or $50 credit toward a bigger photo canvas. The way it works is like this:

1) Choose and upload the photo you would like printed
2) Choose what size. (8×10 is free + shipping/handling, or choose larger size and get a $50 discount)
3) Chose any “extras” (framing, etc.)
5) Enter shipping information
6) Pay the $14.95 shipping/handling (this is a GREAT deal)

Click here for more info: http://enlnks.com/SH2HD

Tags : artwork, Cats, Dogs, kittens, Mother's Day Gifts, photos, pictures, Puppies

Jingle Bells with the Goat Babies

Tags : Christmas, Goats, Jingle Bells, Kids

How Important Are Vitamins to Dogs? by Bud Stuart DVM

B Vitamins-Because

We have often been hearing discussions about vitamins and the role they play in nutrition. One group of vitamins is the family of B vitamins. You may recognize them by such names as thiamine, riboflavin, niacin, folic acid and such. The latter has been found to be of extreme importance in preventing spina-bifida in human babies. Whatever they may be called they all play an essential part in any wellness program. From the very largest to the smallest animals, deficiencies of these important elements can produce major problems.

I have always remembered a class in equine medicine at Cornell. We were examining a lovely young horse afflicted with a problem called “moon blindness”. This meant that every month or so the horse’s eyes would whiten and it would lose its vision for two or three days. Our large animal professor, Dr. Francis Fox, informed us that had the horse been given just 50 milligrams of riboflavin in its diet each day, it would never have gotten the disease. Such a little thing, but oh so important. It was one of the first cases during my college training where I saw how really vital nutrition could be to maintaining an animal’s health. It was also the case that sparked my interest in preventive nutrition, which has played a major role in my career ever since.

It is also felt that B vitamins also play a role in preserving retinal health in dogs and cats as well. Along with vitamins E and C, the B vitamins help preserve circulation and general good health of the retina. This would be similar to preventing macular degeneration in humans which is a major problem in senior citizens.

As an example of just how important diet in pets can be, recently there was an article in one of my veterinary journals about a cat that ate a diet consisting largely of tuna. Tuna is a diet we warn against due to its very strong addicting power for the cats which consume it. The cats will get so they refuse all other foods. However the tuna is deficient in the B vitamin, thiamine, and the kitty mentioned became quite ill with some rather bizarre symptoms. Fortunately the problem, called ‘yellow fat disease’ and which can be fatal, was recognized early and quickly corrected with thiamine injections and supportive treatment.

Senior pets are especially prone to vitamin B deficiency diseases. As we age, our kidneys lose the B vitamins at an increased rate and this is true with animals as well. Many of the cognitive or so called “senile” changes seen in older dogs and cats are related to lowered vitamin B levels since this vitamin is very important to the health of brain cells. I have treated many a cat which could not remember where its kitty litter box is located. Also a lot of dogs which became so senile they could not figure out how to turn around out of a corner they had walked into. It was always very satisfying to make these problems disappear with proper nutrition. There is a product called Cholodon on the market which contains the necessary B vitamins plus cholin and methionine. A chewable tablet or two of this daily will often produce dramatic clearing of the mind. I have even used it to successfully treat mild seizures.

So every cat or dog 10 years or older should be treated as a senior citizen and be on a good geriatric multivitamin supplement which will contain the B vitamin group. Your veterinarian can advise you how to pick a good one and most are chewable, as well as tasty, so act as a treat. This and a good senior diet will put an excellent health platform under any older pet. Many of the problems attributed to a pet “just getting old” are really nutritional and can be prevented. There is not a great deal we can do about preventing ourselves or our pets from getting older. But there is a lot we can do to keep us both from looking, acting and feeling old. So let’s do it.

Bud Stuart DVM resides in California after a 45+ year as a small animal veterinarian.

NOTE: There has been a recall issued by the FDA for a pet vitamin – see news flash below:

A news release from the U.S. Food and Drug Administration:
United Pet Group, Cincinnati, Ohio, is voluntarily recalling all unexpired lots of its PRO-PET ADULT DAILY VITAMIN tablets for dogs because of possible salmonella contamination.
The product was sold nationally at various retailers. The product comes in 100-count white plastic bottles with a light blue label, and UPC code 26851-01800. These products are being removed from retail stores, and consumers should immediately stop feeding these supplements to their pets. The affected products are those with expiration dates on or before 06/13. The expiration date can be found imprinted vertically on the right side of the product label.
Laboratory testing has shown that one lot of this vitamin product was contaminated with salmonella. All lots are being recalled for safety assurance.
Pets with salmonella infections may be lethargic and have diarrhea or bloody diarrhea, fever and vomiting. Some pets will have only decreased appetite, fever and abdominal pain. Infected but otherwise healthy pets can be carriers and infect other animals or humans. If your pet has consumed the recalled product and has these symptoms, contact your veterinarian.
Consumers who have purchased the product are urged to contact United Pet Group or the place of purchase for further direction.
Consumers may contact United Pet Group at 1-800-645-5154, Ext. 3, Monday through Friday, from 8:30 a.m. to 5 p.m.

Tags : Nutrition, Vet, Vitamin B, Vitamins

“Just” a Vet? by Bud Stuart D.V.M.

Years ago, when I expressed interest in becoming a veterinarian, my dear Aunt Mary wrote me a worried letter. She urged me to rethink my choices, since all the working horses in the country were soon to be a memory. Well, despite Aunt Mary’s fears, and thanks to pleasure horses of all kinds, there are now more horses in our country than at that time. Plus, what she was not aware of was that the scope of veterinary medicine is very broad and one can wear a great many hats.

My own career is an example. After graduation from Cornell, I joined a farm animal practice in the Finger Lakes region of New York State. After a year in this position I became an instructor in farm animal medicine at Cornell. Then I worked a few months as a state veterinarian doing dairy cattle milk studies until I entered the U.S. Air Force for two years as a veterinary officer. In the military my duties were food inspection and public health.
Upon leaving the Air Force I moved to northern Virginia where I became director of Georgetown University’s medical research facility for three years. At Georgetown it was my good fortune to be involved in supporting the research of Dr. Charles Hofnagel, who was doing some of the first studies in open-heart surgery. These were baby steps toward total heart replacement and other remarkable surgeries that we have today.
During this time I was a reserve officer at the Armed Forces Institute of Pathology at Walter Reed Hospital in Bethesda, Maryland. Here I had the chance to work with the first Rhesus monkeys, such as Able and Baker, who were being launched into space, opening our solar system to exploration. Then I went on to open a pet practice in Fairfax, Virginia, where I remained for almost four decades.
That period saw the beginning of the specialty practices. We now have veterinarians with advanced degrees in dermatology, ophthalmology, neurology, orthopedics, behavior and many other fields. At one time a pet practice covered all household animals. Many practices are now limited to felines or birds or exotics. In farm animal medicine we have specialists in equines or bovines or poultry. There are veterinarians involved in research at many levels. Some are employed by state or federal agencies, while others are on the staff of corporations involved in the production of animal products. The U.S. Department of Agriculture employs veterinarians to supervise international and interstate shipment of birds and animals. In addition, this agency employs vets to maintain the health and sanitation of the nation’s meat and poultry supplies.
As you can see, the scope of veterinary medicine is a broad one. From the many subdivisions of private practice, to state and federal positions, to military service, a lot of ground can be covered once one has that coveted veterinary degree.
Unfortunately the monetary rewards of the profession rank quite low when compared with other medical fields. But as someone who has been at it for quite a while, I can vouch that the personal satisfaction the profession returns is second to none.
If you know a young person with an interest in the field of veterinary science, I would urge you to give that person your encouragement. They will enter a profession which is well worth the effort they must put forth to achieve their degree. Whatever particular career path he or she decides to follow, the person will enjoy challenge, stimulation, service to society and knowledge of a lifetime well spent.

Tags : NASA, research, Training, Vet

Do You Own a Gold-Plated Dog or Cat?

Have you ever had a medical emergency with your pet-friend? Kitty and I had one a few years ago. My son’s girlfriend took Kitty to the vet for me saying that he needed to be wormed. This is a normal occurrence in the life of a pet. And, it’s a relatively inexpensive treatment.

Not this time.

By the time I picked Kitty up from the vet, we’d accumulated an $800 bill, a feeding tube and had a cat that just came out of surgery. The thing seemed to escalate. First it’s a test, then it’s a diagnosis, then it’s a treatment. It’s kind of like being in the taxicab from hell. The vet meter is running and even though you’ve blown your budget several miles back, you’re still accumulating that fare. And anxiously, helplessly watching it skyrocket.

You’d feel like a heel to bail. But, you’re just a teensy-weeny bit tempted. Especially after you compared your bank account against the new vet bills.

How much is the MOST you’ve ever spent on your animal? Did you dude him up with doggy braces, to the tune of $1,200 or have him ingest some illegal substance that just HAD to come out, via the incision in Fido’s stomach? Would your friends and family be astounded by the amount you dropped at the vet?

Did you feel guilty that you even put a price on your little fuzzy one’s head? Share with the Pet-Peeves community on what your sweet pets put your wallet through.

Tags : Cats, Dogs, Vet Bills, vets

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