Info, Tips, Health
I have two hot dogs panting around my desk. They’ve both been outside with me for the last hour trotting beside me while I mulched the lawn. Well, that’s what Kiera was doing. Graidy was mostly chasing birds. I took a look at their tongues, decided it was time to quit, and had them jump in their wading pool. We’ll cool it for the rest of the afternoon. It’s too hot out for prolonged non-stop exercise for them.
Dogs only … Read More
I have a fool-proof thunderstorm detector — more accurate than the local weather Doppler system. And she’s sitting right here on my lap (which makes typing a bit of a challenge). So I know a thunderstorm will be hitting here within an hour or two.
Kiera never used to be bothered by thunderstorms, but for the last few years they’ve turned her into a quivering mess, courtesy of chronic Lyme disease. (Lyme can affect neurological functioning in all kinds of … Read More
Having been away for a few days to help my mother, I walked into the house to my happily leaping dogs. Graidy came rushing up the chair in front of me and used it like a springboard to catapult himself up into my arms. Kiera, wanting to lick my face, had trampoline feet, she was jumping so high.
Finally, I brushed them both off, so I could sit down on the floor. Then, and only then, could we give each … Read More
Go to List of all recalled dog food.
Menu Foods, Inc., expanded its recall Tuesday, April 10, to cat food not previously subject to the recall. The varieties of cat food in the United States and Canada now being recalled are included in the spreadsheet in the above link.
If your brand is on the list, make sure to check the code on the spreadsheet against the code on your can. If they match, stop feeding that food immediately and … Read More
I know I’m preaching to the choir here, but this kind of thing drives me nuts. Recently, there was an article in the Anchorage Daily News about a wolf named Romeo who had become a regular visitor to the lake in town. As often happens when people have a love for wild animals, they want to get close. They want to have their own personal experience. But the ways in which people do this can spell trouble for themselves and … Read More
Here’s a great article on the socio-biology of empathy and the roots of moral behavior in animals.
The NY Times article begins:
… Read More“Some animals are surprisingly sensitive to the plight of others. Chimpanzees, who cannot swim, have drowned in zoo moats trying to save others. Given the chance to get food by pulling a chain that would also deliver an electric shock to a companion, rhesus monkeys will starve themselves for several days.
Biologists argue that these and other social
Andrew, reading the morning paper in one hand with a cup of coffee in the other, started quoting an article on one of the more popular dog trainers du jour. Every time he was about to say what the problem was, I absent-mindedly pre-empted him with the correct evaluation and training procedure.
Finally, he looked at me and said, “Why don’t you become a professional dog trainer? Any time I mention any article or magazine piece on dog training you … Read More
My vet has sent a reminder card to let me know that Kiera is due for a couple of vaccines. I’ll bring her in for titers to be taken. I stopped automatically vaccinating some years ago, after I’d extensively read up on the subject.
Here’s the gist of what I’ve learned:
The minimum duration of immunity for the four core vaccines (parvo, distemper, canine Adenovirus and rabies) was 3-7 years. (A USDA study I reviewed similarly showed an average 7-year … Read More
