So, you’re a Doberman Pinscher who has walked away from the Garden without a prize at the 2014 Westminster Kennel Club Show. Do you hang your head in shame? Of course not! You simply fall back on your other accomplishment in life…saving lives. One night when Troy was lying in bed with his owner, Diane […]
guinea pig might have mites?
Question by Hayley: guinea pig might have mites?
Answers from my last question regarding some abnormal amounts of itching have suggested it might be mites, could this be why my guinea pig has also been unhappy being picked up recently? He finally started to sit still on his shelf and let me pick him up but a little before I noticed the itching, he started to avoid being picked up again. He still loves floor time though so have I been irritating him? Is it another indicator of mites?
Best answer:
Answer by Emily
Mites could definitely explain the changes in behavior you’re describing. They burrow into a guinea pig’s skin, which makes being touched uncomfortable/painful. This could make a guinea pig avoid getting touched or even bite. Until you get him treated, don’t bathe him. This can cause the mites to burrow deeper and cause further pain.
Untreated mite infestations can get advanced enough to cause fatal seizures. Luckily mites are pretty easy to treat if you use a safe and effective medication. There are two medications used to treat mites in guinea pigs: ivermectin and Revolution (by prescription only).
Here’s some info about mites and how to treat them: http://www.guinealynx.info/mites.html
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Before It Got Cold Again
The other day was gorgeous! I was actually out in just a sweatshirt. I had to leave my jacket on the ground because I was dying of heat stroke!
We went to the beach – although I couldn’t tell what was sand and what was ice. And neither could the dogs. 
Lacey had a blast and I aimed my camera at her for the most part as I haven’t seemed to have taken many photos of her lately! Coulee and Amy have been stealing the show.
Not surprisingly we were out there all by ourselves.
It’s now back in the -1,000′s but at least we had a few days of “decent” weather.
On a complete subject change…. I’ve been trying to get a photo like the one below for a while. It makes me think of all those dogs that people just dump in the country and then drive away from. I’m not really sure what they expect their dogs to do… live of the land? find a friendly farmer? starve and die out of sight? Anyway, I have always imagined a sad dog walking down an empty road with the car driving off, dust billowing up behind it. There is no dust, but it’s probably as close as I’m ever going to get!
THE RIPPLE: A Tale of Two Towns Part 2
Malvern PA
Last week I posted a blog about Malvern AR as a study in contrasts between two places on my path.
This past weekend I was filming and interviewing the oncologists and staff and patients at Hope Veterinary Specialists, (from left to right; Tara, Dr. Craig Clifford, Tom, Katelyn & Claus von Shitz, the German Shepherd).
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This Our Story
It was enlightening, educational, inspirational, heartwarming and, in a few cases, heartbreaking. I gotta say, it’s a totally different experience being behind the lens instead of in front of it like I’m most used to. But that’s the reason that we have been filming hundreds of hours of footage since the Summer of Murphy tour. This isn’t just my story, it’s all of ours.
One of the stories I filmed Monday stands out and perfectly captures the experience. And it’s got a little of everything; firemen, dog rescues, British royalty, three different types of cancers, and the marvel of modern veterinary medicine.
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Meet Cammie
In 2008, she was found by firemen in the freezing cold with an inoperable Epulis, or oral tumor. One of the volunteers at the rescue made helping and healing her, her mission, and that’s Stacy, her mum. Once it was deemed that resection wasn’t a treatment option, Cammie’s tumor underwent radiation under the care of Dr. Siobhan Haney. And while successful in stopping its growth, within a couple of months Cammie collapsed from a Stage 2 hemangiosarcoma.
Following a splenectomy and a course of chemo, Cammie responded well although a complication from the Epulis occurred. Radiation had killed the tumor but the necrotic tissue frequently became infected and had to be removed resulting in the loss of part of her lower jaw.
In the ensuing months a soft tissue sarcoma was discovered on her flank and a she underwent a second course of chemo. Three cancers and six years later, Cammie is happy, healthy, and a beauty to boot!
Following a splenectomy and a course of chemo, Cammie responded well although a complication from the Epulis occurred. Radiation had killed the tumor but the necrotic tissue frequently became infected and had to be removed resulting in the loss of part of her lower jaw.
In the ensuing months a soft tissue sarcoma was discovered on her flank and a she underwent a second course of chemo. Three cancers and six years later, Cammie is happy, healthy, and a beauty to boot!
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Happy Endings
During the course of my interview with Stacy and Drs. Clifford and Siobhan I asked Cammie’s mum what message she had for pet parents who adopt dogs with costly, preexisting medical conditions and those going through cancer treatment for the first time.
Her response: “You need to believe in happy endings.” Indeed. We all do.
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YBD’s Notes 1: I like being behind the lens. The Canon camera was generously donated by Thunder for us to record Murphy’s battle with nasal cancer back in 2010 but as it became unbeatable, I had to turn the camera off. Maybe we weren’t meant to tell our own story unless it’s through that of others.
YBD’s Notes 2: Many thanks to Dennis, Craig, Kate, Siobhan and all of the rest of the crew at Hope VS for being both generous and accommodating with their time.
YBD’s Notes 3: I even got to interview my first feline cancer patient, Shadow. Me thinks we have to change the name of our organization to 2 Million Dogs and 1 cat.
YBD’s Notes 4: Oh, and Cammie got her name from Princess Camilla
Holistic flea topical treatment or spray for cats?
Question by .: Holistic flea topical treatment or spray for cats?
I’m seeking a natural remedy to apply to my cat to keep off fleas. So far, in my research I’ve come upon websites only suggesting how to rid of fleas that are ALREADY infesting, and spraying the yard with a chemical isn’t a change at all, it’s still a chemical. Garlic is TOXIC for cats, so nobody recommend garlic as I’ve read some misinformed people telling cat owners to do so. My only other source is a good diet, as fleas only invade animals of poor health. I’m hesitant to believe this, however… parasites are parasites I do doubt they discriminate unless a cat owner of 20 years in holistic care can tell me otherwise.
Best answer:
Answer by bloomorningglory
Holistic vet in my area recommends the usual – Frontline or Sentinel. I personally keep the cat inside and skip the flea prevention.
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Shelter Sunday: Home For Friendless Animals, Inc. / Waynetown, IN
Meet Cooper! This lab mix is living in Waynetown, Indiana, courtesy of Home for Friendless Animals, Inc. Here’s what their website has to say about this handsome fella. Cooper had a home & knows his name. He knows “sit” & “come”. He is very affectionate & misses having companionship. He is about 75 lbs & […]
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Tagged animals, Friendless, home, Inc., Shelter, Sunday, Waynetown
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Cool Tick images
Some cool Tick images:
Tick on the job
Image by John Tann
Tick, a species of Ixodidae, burrowing into a tee shirt. Jarrahdale State Forest, Western Australia, November 2011.
TRACIE HOTCHNER: PUPPY TRAINING MEANS CRATE TRAINING – IT MAKES IT EASY PEASY
Diane in New Richmond, Ohio wrote to ask for my insight into her puppy’s house training problem, saying:
“We are at our wits’ end. My husband is about ready to put an ad in the paper! I need to stop this before it gets out of hand! We bought our German shepherd/Rottweiler mix puppy Niki in November from a family in Indianapolis – the mother was a Rottweiler and the father was a German shepherd. She was about 6 or 7 weeks old at the time and is 6 months old now. She seemed to be a really smart dog. Learned the standard “sit”, “down”, etc. pretty quickly. But we are having a heck of time with potty training..
We will take her outside to do her “business” and she gets “rewarded” with a treat. But she would continue to “go” in the house. We find “piles” behind furniture or down in the laundry. I took her to Vet and he said she had a bladder infection. Treated that. Everything was fine for a week. Then back to the same routine. But now she will go outside and sit – do nothing, come inside and relieve herself right in front of us!! The Vet says it is still a bladder infection and that she needs to be spayed. I don’t see how spaying will correct the pooping and peeing in the house (especially right in front of us!!). We have tried keeping her in a crate then putting her outside – same thing happens – she sits out there and comes inside to poop or pee. Any ideas?”
My advice to Diane- and anyone out there with a puppy – is that you absolutely need to have a strict clear routine and schedule. And you have to use the crate as a consistent and integral part of the puppy training. My book THE DOG BIBLE has a simple and short description of the tried-and-true formula for house training any pup. Your puppy lives in the crate – that is her home, period. Every single time anyone opens the door of that crate, the puppy must go outside immediately after the door opens – morning, daytime, evening, or night – every time. And each time you take her on a leash to an “elimination spot” where she has gone before.
You don’t let her play around – she has to eliminate and then immediately get a Halo treat. Then you release her with whoops! of joy and let her run around and play. After playing she needs to be taken on leash to the elimination spot and given praise and a Halo treat instantly after she goes. Then she is returned to her crate. She has to be under absolute supervision indoors when she is out of her crate. No run of the house. Not even loose in the kitchen with baby gates. If your puppy has left a “present” for you behind a sofa or in a closet, that means you failed her- you set her up for failure by letting her roam around without clear boundaries of where certain bodily functions were supposed to happen exclusively.
She needs to empty her bladder and bowels after any rest time in the crate – and then again after playing. Mealtimes are the best time to teach bowel habits because if you snap on her leash and walk her immediately after eating, you will quickly teach her body to eliminate after food intake.
Halo makes a great puppy food with their wonderful ingredients – make sure you feed both meals at precisely the same times every day. Then you must go right outdoors to the spot where she will soon learn she should do “her business.” Then play with her – and the moment you are done, let her eliminate again, then she goes right back in the crate (and you can toss a Halo Liv-a-Little into the crate to make re-entry even more appealing!)
No puppy should have the run of the house- as you can see with Niki it just confused her about what her people wanted. Niki is smart and learned commands easily – that’s great! It means that if she gets clear and concise indications from her people about where to relieve herself – reinforced with a tasty Halo treat – the very consistent schedule and confinement to the crate the rest of the time, means they will be setting their dog up for success.
As soon as you are sure the puppy understands the rules of the house, you can leave that crate door open and let her come and go at will. Just remember, you still want her to go right outdoors after meals to teach her body good habits.
Tracie Hotchner is the author of THE DOG BIBLE: Everything Your Dog Wants You to Know and THE CAT BIBLE: Everything Your Cat Expects You to Know. She is also a renowned pet radio host and producer, having spent 7 years on the Martha Stewart Channel of Sirius/XM with CAT CHAT® and even longer with her award-winning NPR radio show DOG TALK® (and Kitties, Too!) that continues to broadcast in the Hamptons and the Berkshires. Her most recent accomplishment is the pet talk radio network she has created on the Internet called The Radio Pet Lady Network.
Dec 16, Dog Stomach | Best Dog Food Guide
Into the dog stomach – getting serious with acid and cutting enzymes.
Dog Food Blog | Best Dog Food Guide
Let’s Talk About Instagram
I joined Instagram a couple of years ago, which actually made me a little late to the Insta-party. So many of my blogger pals had already been ‘gramming for quite some time at that point, but I was one of those stubborn BlackBerry users who took forever to let go. After I finally made the switch to an iPhone and signed up for an IG account – something about which I’d been omg-so-excited for months – I didn’t even use it all that much. Between Twitter, Facebook, and the what sometimes feels like 5 million other social media apps out there, on top of the blog, I felt like I was already spending plenty of time oversharing without adding a picture app into the daily mix.
But somehow, over time, Instagram won. These days I use it more than any other platform (Pinterest is a close second, but that’s another post). There’s just something about being able to quickly share an image and a brief caption as a means to visually display a moment in your life. It’s easy, simple, streamlined, and no fuss. For the most part, there’s no planning or over-editing or vast amounts of time involved. You take a picture with your phone, you share it. In less than a couple of minutes, you’ve told a story. Then you scroll through your feed and quickly get to see lots of other people’s stories, without a big time commitment. It works.
Instagram is no longer just for pictures of food or babies (guilty!) or dogs or sunsets or ‘selfies’ either. More and more brands are using it as a means of promotion through giveaways, product placement, and mini ads. (Some brands even attribute their success to IG.) Celebrities use it to post candid shots of their ‘real lives.’ Bloggers use it as a micro-blogging platform. (I even know some bloggers who have said goodbye to their blogs all together in favor of Instagram). And here I am, devoting a full blog post to it. To an app. It’s not even a new app or an app that people haven’t posted about a hundred times before. Yet somehow, even years after its introduction, it’s still worth mentioning. Its growth (from number of users to reasons for using) has been exponential. At least in my eyes, Instagram has become a pretty big deal.
What are you thoughts on the IG phenomena, and the role it plays in the online community these days? And if you’re an Instagram user, please leave your username and/or link in the comments so I can check out your photos! You can find me and follow along under username bubbyandbean, or by clicking right here.
