The temperature is soaring, and it’s
only going to get hotter. Make sure you know how to keep your cat safe in the
summer heat.
Watch out forheatstroke. Symptoms
include panting, lethargy, drooling, fever, vomiting and collapse. If you
think your cat may have heatstroke, get the vet ASAP — the condition can
cause permanent organ damage and death. Learn more about heatstroke in
pets.
Offer your cat several ways to
cool off. Leave a fan on
in a place where your cat can sit in front of it, add some ice cubes to
her water or offer her a cool treat (check out our recipe for catsicles.)
Letyour cat find cool spots in
the house. Your cat will seek out the cooler parts of your home, so
make sure she has access to areas with tile floors or rooms that don’t get
much sun.
Play in the morning or evening. Any exercise should take place
during the cooler hours of the day. This is especially important for young
kittens and seniors, both of whom are very vulnerable to heatstroke. (If
your cat has just eaten, make sure you give her some time to digest before
you begin playtime.)
United Airlines
flew a lost dog home Wednesday in first class for free — four years after he
went missing.
The Lambert family didn’t think they would ever see
Sam, a Yorkshire Terrier, after he disappeared from their yard in Louisiana.
But he was found by an animal control officer in in
Cedar Rapids, Iowa earlier this month.
He was straggly and weighed less than 6 pounds.
Luckily, staff at the shelter were able to use the microchip he had to identify
the Lambert family as the owners.
Danielle Lambert said she was “shocked” when she got
the call.
“I first thought that there was no way it could be
Sam. He’d been missing for four years,” she told CNNMoney.
Sam was a birthday gift for her daughter Karisa when
she turned 10 years old. Now she’s 15.
The Yorkie was nursed back to health at the shelter
until he was fit to fly home. He landed in New Orleans on a United flight at
11:16 a.m.
“This just makes all of us feel really, really happy
that we can make this miracle come true for this family and their little dog,”
said Diane Webber, a manager at the Cedar Rapids shelter.
No one knows how Sam got to Iowa, which is nearly
1,000 miles away.
“We have no clue,” said Lambert. “I guess that’s the
piece we’ll never know.”
Pets aren’t always easy to take care of, and they often require a
substantial time commitment (something you’re all too aware of at, say, 3 a.m.,
when Bing Clawsby is finally ready to go outside and do his business). But pets
provide an amazing return on that time investment, especially when it comes to
your health. Case in point: According to the U.S. Centers for Disease Control
and Prevention, pet owners tend to have lower blood pressure, cholesterol, and
triglyceride levels than non-pet owners. But that’s not all. Pets also model
many surprisingly healthy behaviors that humans would do well to emulate. Here
are just a few, according to veterinarians, dog trainers, and other pet
experts.
1. They focus on what matters most. You may get grumpy after a bad
day at the office, but your pooch never does. “Companion animals mostly care
about food, love, and shelter (not always in that order). As long as they have
those things, they don’t need much else,” Mary Gardner, DVM, a veterinarian and
cofounder of Lap of Love Veterinary Hospice tells Yahoo Health. “Pets also
don’t complain much at all. People believe they hide their pain; I simply think
they manage it differently.” If humans could model these behaviors, Gardner
adds, we’d be healthier, happier, “and more people would want to be around
us.”
2. They practice portion control (even if not by choice). Snowball
might not want to limit her kibble intake any more than you want to limit your
tortilla-chip intake. Nonetheless, she typically eats reasonably sized helpings
of nutritionally balanced food — and never gets to eat straight out of the bag.
Follow her lead. “Both animals and people need structure and regulation when it
comes to portion size,” says Jme Thomas, executive director of Motley Zoo
Animal Rescue based in Redmond, Washington.
3. They know how to de-stress. Your pooch doesn’t pour a glass of
cabernet when the going gets rough (though, yes, it would make a very popular
YouTube video if she did). She may, however, start begging for a walk or to
play a game. Smart dog! “Actively seeking healthy activities — that function as
de-stressors when stress levels are high — helps to reset people as well as dogs,
and bring us back to a productive and functional status, from which many things
feel a lot more ‘do-able,’” Marisa Scully, a certified dog behavior specialist
in Philadelphia, tells Yahoo Health.
4. They hit the hay. People don’t get enough sleep: According to a
2014 survey by the National Sleep Foundation, 45 percent of Americans said that
a lack of sleep had impaired their activities at least once in the previous
week. Learn from your cat or dog, who knows just how important it is to get
enough shut-eye, says Jeff Werber, VVM, president and chief veterinarian of
Century Veterinary Group in Los Angeles. “Whether it’s a lazy dog day
afternoon, or a quick cat nap, you won’t find them burning the candles at both
ends.” 5. They stretch! There’s a reason one of the most common yoga moves is
named downward dog. Dogs (and cats) stretch constantly — and we should do the
same, notes certified dog behavior consultant Russell Hartstein. Why?
Stretching can improve flexibility and reduce your risk of injury.
6. They’re open to new things. Animals are naturally curious.
“Open a box or empty a bag and before you know it, your cat will have climbed
in to investigate. Walk your dog past a gardener planting flowers and chances
are she will check it out before moving on,” Werber says. “And they’re always
up for some fun. A game of catch, a walk, a visit — bring it on.” Since
research has found that seeking out new experiences can keep people feeling
young and healthy, we’d do well to follow suit.
7. They’re comfortable getting zen. Numerous studies have found a
correlation between mindful meditation and reduced stress, decreased heart
disease, and a stronger immune response — and that’s something your cat already
knows how to do instinctively. “Each morning I sit on the sofa with my cat,
Turtle, while I drink my first cup of coffee,” says Kristen Levine, a pet
living expert. “We spend about 10 minutes together, her getting neck and head
rubs, me enjoying her purring and having a few meditative moments at the start
of the day.It sounds simple, and it can be, but depending on the activity, it
can have a powerfully relaxing or invigorating effect for both human and
critter.”
Science is proving what pet
owners have long believed: Dogs understand what we're feeling. Specifically,
dogs can recognize the difference between a happy and an angry human face, a
study published Thursday in Current Biology suggests.
It's the first research to
show definitively that dogs are sensitive to our facial expressions, says
coauthor Ludwig Huber, head of comparative cognition at Messerli Research
Institute at the University of Veterinary Medicine, Vienna.
In the Austrian study, 20
pet dogs of various breeds and sizes were taught to play a computer game
through a series of exercises. In the first, the dogs were shown two touch
screens, one with a circle and one with a square. Through trial and error, they
learned that a treat would appear if they chose the right geometrical figure.
Eleven of the 20 dogs were
able to catch on to rules of the game and make it to the next phase, where they
were shown photos of faces. Half the dogs were rewarded for picking a happy
expression and half for choosing an angry expression. The interesting catch:
the dogs were shown only the upper half or the lower half of a face.
It was easier to teach the
dogs to choose a happy expression than an angry one, suggesting the dogs do
indeed understand the meaning behind the expression, Huber says.
As a test, the dogs were
then were presented with:
the same half of the faces
they saw during the training, but from different people
the other half of the faces used in training
the other half of new faces
the left half of the faces used in training
In the vast majority of cases the dogs chose the right answer 70 to 100 percent
of the time.
Dogs who had been trained
to recognize an expression of anger or happiness on the upper part of a face
could identify the same expression when shown only the lower part, and vice
versa, Huber says, adding “the only possible explanation is that they recall
from memory of everyday life how a whole human face looks when happy or angry.”
Dog owners know their pets
not only recognize emotions but also feel empathy.
Delilah, a 3-year-old
Chihuahua, always seems to know when her owner Eva Shure is having a bad day.
Delilah knows when her owner is having a bad day.
Making eye contact and cocking her head to the right, the little dog will stare
at Shure's face as if trying to assess her feelings. “It’s weird, I can see her
thinking and processing,” says Shure, a 35-year-old New York City business
owner. “I’ll say, yeah, it’s not a great day and she’ll come up and sit next to
me.”
Beverly Levreault, 57, says
her 6-year-old Australian Cattle Dog mix is always tuned in to her moods. “If
I’m not feeling well, like when I have the flu, Lacey is definitely lower key
and will not leave my side, ” says Levreault, a graphic designer from
Williamstown, New York. “If I take her for a walk, she’s not as rambunctious as
she usually is.”
Lynette Whiteman says she’s
not sure that her 5-year-old Yorkie-Maltese cross is using facial expressions
to gauge how she feels. “But she definitely reads my emotions,” says the
58-year-old from Toms River, New Jersey. “I run a therapy dog program and the
dogs are just amazing. They go into a room and immediately pick out the person
who needs help.”
Behavioral experts say the
new findings, while important, wouldn’t surprise anyone with an intimate
knowledge of dogs.
Coco and Lynettte
"This new work continues to build the case for just how sensitive dogs are
to our subtle behaviors,” says Dr. Brian Hare, chief scientific officer at
Dognition and an associate professor of evolutionary anthropology at Duke
University. “This is the strongest evidence yet that dogs are even reading our
facial expressions.”
That sensitivity may be the
result of generations of selective breeding for a true partner, says Dr. Carlo
Siracusa, director of the behavior service at the University of Pennsylvania
School of Veterinary Medicine. “We have selected animals that are able to perceive
our emotions and communicate with us at a level that no other animal can,”
Siracusa says.
Dogs may not talk, but they
are very good communicators, says Dr. Nicholas Dodman, a professor in the
department of clinical sciences at the Cummings School of Veterinary Medicine
at Tufts University and director of the animal behavior clinic at Cummings.
“Just as we are masters of
the spoken word, dogs are experts at reading body language,” Dodman says.
“It’s almost impossible to
hide your feelings from a dog.”
Turns out, reading facial
expressions isn’t the only thing dogs have in common with us.
They can be bitten by the
computer gaming bug. “They can really become freaks for it,” Huber says with a
chuckle. “They don’t want to stop playing. It’s incredible. They’ll play till
they are exhausted and fall asleep.”
Petcube is a
box with a laser pointer, speaker, and light that you can control from anywhere
in the world via the Petcube smartphone app.
You control the laser by moving your finger around your
iPhone or Android phone’s screen. Anywhere your finger moves, your pet will
follow, as long as she likes lasers.
You can also take screenshots of the app and share them via
Petcube’s social network. What’s more, you can make your Petcube open to the
public, so you can let anyone play with your pet while you’re home or away.
To be honest, letting strangers get a view of your home
when you’re away (or home) sounds kind of strange, so maybe you’ll just want to
stick with the lasers.
MOTOROLA SCOUT 5000:
The Petcube
isn’t the only Internet-connected pet tech at CES 2015. Motorola’s Scout 5000
attaches to your dog’s collar and features a camera, speaker, microphone, and
GPS tracker.
Basically, it
lets you see exactly what your dog sees; lets you talk to your dog when you’re
not home — which is probably very weird for your dog — and even make sure your
dog is safe when you’re away all from a companion smartphone app.
The Scout 5000
is fairly large for a pet-tracking device, so it will fit only medium to large
dogs. This is not for your teacup designer dog. It goes on sale this summer for
$200.
If these two
gadgets are any indication, your pooch or kitty will soon be as connected as
you are. And for pet lovers who can’t stand to be away from their little furry
ones for even a minute, that’s pretty great.
Pancreatitis is an inflammation of the pancreas caused by
leakage of the digestive enzymes and causing the pancreas to "digest
itself." Pancreatitis can be acute (sudden) or chronic (happening over a
course of time.) Both acute and chronic forms are serious and can be
life-threatening. Middle-aged dogs appear to be at increased risk of developing
pancreatitis. Certain breeds are more prone to the disease, particularly
Schnauzers and Yorkshire terriers.
Pancreatitis is more common in overweight dogs. When pancreatitis occurs in an
overweight dog it is more likely to cause serious illness.
Causes of Pancreatitis
Multiple factors can contribute to the development of
pancreatitis including:
Certain medications: The medications most suspected of
causing pancreatitis include azathioprine (Imuran Rx), potassium bromide (used
for seizure control), l-asparaginase (a chemotherapeutic agent) and zinc used
as a dietary supplement.
Infections
Metabolic
disorders: Including hyperlipidemia (high amounts of lipid in the blood)
and hypercalcemia (high amounts of calcium in the blood)
Obesity
Trauma
and shock
Scorpion
stings
Nutrition also plays a major role. Dogs with high-fat diets,
dogs that have recently eaten the trash, are fed table scraps, or 'steal'
greasy people food have a higher incidence of the disease. In addition, dogs
that have previously had pancreatitis or abdominal surgery appear to be more at
risk.
Preventing Pancreatitis
Because fatty foods are a common cause of pancreatitis, it
is good to limit the amount of fat in your dog?s diet. Be especially careful
around the holidays as extra table scraps and fat trimmings in the garbage can
trigger pancreatitis.
Symptoms of Pancreatitis
The signs can vary from mild gastrointestinal upset to
collapse and death. However, most dogs have some signs of GI upset, such as:
Vomiting
Not
eating
Painful
abdomen, hunched appearance
Fever
or below-normal body temperature
Diarrhea
Depression
Dehydration
which can be evaluated by noting sunken eyes, dry mouth, and increased
skin turgor (skin tents when pinched)
Difficulty
in breathing
Heart
arrhythmias
Inflammation
of organs that surround the pancreas
Infection
and hemorrhages throughout the body
All or some of the signs may be present with pancreatitis, but are not specific
for pancreatitis, and can be seen with many gastrointestinal diseases and
conditions.
Diagnosing Pancreatitis
Pancreatitis can be diagnosed by looking at blood
chemistries and biopsies. While biopsy is the gold standard, unless surgery is
called for, these are not generally performed because of their invasive nature.
Treating Pancreatitis
The goal of treatment is to rest the pancreas, provide
supportive care and control complications. If vomiting is severe, treatment
usually consists of withholding all food, water, and oral medications for 24
hours to stop the stimulation of the pancreas. Depending on the dog's response,
food can be reintroduced after a day. At that time, the dog should be fed
small, bland, easily digestible meals that are high-carbohydrate, low-fat. Over
a period of a week, meal size and quantity of food can be increased. The dog
may need to stay on a special diet for life, or it may be possible to gradually
reintroduce the former diet. High-fat diets or treats should be avoided. Since
dehydration and electrolyte imbalances are common in dogs with acute
pancreatitis and water intake is often restricted, fluid therapy is usually
needed. Fluids are either given subcutaneously or intravenously.
Dogs that experience severe pain can be treated with pain
relievers such as meperidine or butorphanol. Antibiotics are often administered
prophylactically to protect against infection. If the pancreatitis was caused
by a medication, the medication should be stopped. If it was caused by a toxin,
infection, or other condition, the appropriate therapy for the underlying
condition should be started. In rare instances where there are intestinal
complications or the development of a pancreatic abscess, surgery may be
necessary.
Caring for Dogs with Pancreatitis
Pancreatitis can be a very unpredictable disease. In most
cases, if the pancreatitis was mild and the pet only had one episode, chances
of recovery are good and avoiding high fat foods may be all that is necessary
to prevent recurrence or complications. In other cases, what appears to be a
mild case may progress, or may be treated successfully only to have recurrences,
sometimes severe. Dogs with severe pancreatitis can recover, but may also
develop fatal complications. The risk of developing fatal pancreatitis is
increased in dogs that are overweight, or have diabetes mellitus,
hyperadrenocorticism, hypothyroidism, gastrointestinal tract disease, and
epilepsy. Dogs that suffer repeated bouts of pancreatitis may need to be fed
low-fat diets to prevent recurrence.
Some dogs develop chronic pancreatitis, which can lead to
diabetes mellitus and/or pancreatic insufficiency, also called maldigestion
syndrome. In pancreatic insufficiency, the nutrients in food are passed out in
the feces undigested. Dogs with this disease often has a ravenous appetite,
diarrhea, and weight loss. Even though he is eating, he could literally starve
to death. Treatment for pancreatic insufficiency is lifelong and expensive, but
is possible. The dog?s digestive enzymes are replaced through a product
processed from pancreases of hogs and cattle which contain large quantities of
the digestive enzymes. A change in diet with added nutritional supplements may
also be necessary.
It is natural for puppies to
explore their environment; however, their natural curiosity often leads to
frustration on your part when they chew your favorite slippers. While you may
be tempted to punish your naughty pup, reinforcing good behavior is much more
effective and will keep you and your dog happier. Chewing is a natural
behavior that helps dogs relax and aids in dental health. It is important to
provide proper chew toys for your dog. Additionally, giving your dog a specific
time for chewing will help them ”wind” down for the night (similar to humans reading
a book before bed).
Anxious chewing
However, not all chewing is
good for your dog. Destructive chewing may be related to anxiety. It is
important to teach your dog that he cannot always receive attention on demand.
To reduce anxiety, train him to lie on his bed or in a crate, rather than
constantly at your side. For dogs with separation anxiety, begin with short
departures and then gradually increase the length of your time away to help
them be comfortable and calm while you’re gone.
Anti-chew sprays
Anti-chew sprays can be used
to deter your pup from chewing on household items. If you witness your puppy
chewing on a household item, calmly walk over and spray the item with the
anti-chew spray and firmly say ”leave it”. Instantly redirect your puppy’s attention
by animating the dog toy in order to get him excited enough to chew it. Once
the dog wants the toy give it to her and then softly praise the dog and back
away (avoid turning this into an active game of tug-of-war; you simply want to
get the dog interested in the toy). This will give the dog something to chew on
and still remain in the calm state she was in previously.
Teething
Chew toys are a great way to
keep your puppy busy as well as relieve pain associated with teething. Once the
teeth erupt, the real chewing begins. The teeth seem to need “setting” into the
jaw and this is accomplished through hard chewing. Present your puppy with a
variety of toys to determine which types he likes best (avoid giving him chew
toys that resemble household items that you do not want him to chew, i.e. a toy
shaped like a shoe). Rotate different toys to keep your puppy’s interest and
reward your puppy with praise when he chews on them. If the puppy seem to seek
out a certain items that are not for chewing, try finding toys with similar
textures because they may need that texture for dental health. Remember, buying
a bunch of toys is a lot less expensive than replacing the furniture that he
may chew up.
