Pet Monologues

We’ve noticed that many people like to get their canine companions a dog bed as a holiday gift.  And why not?  They’re fuzzy, cozy, luxurious and available in holiday colors.  However, too many people go about selecting a dog bed all wrong.  There are three primary questions you need to answer when choosing a dog bed:

1.  Is my dog large or small?  This may seem obvious, but too many people choose that cute round dog bed because it fits perfectly between their sofa and fireplace and it matches the rug.  But guess what?  Their yellow lab doesn’t fit in it!

2.  How does your dog like to sleep?  Is your dog a a curler, a leaner, a sprawler or a burrower?  Each of these sleep styles dictate a different shaped bed.  Curlers prefer the security of donut beds.  Beds with bolsters or another type of back support are best for leaners.  Sprawlers need a bed with flat sides such as a pillow or cushion style.  And there are special dog beds specifically for burrowers that have extra fabric for your pooch to nuzzle her nose under and crawl in.

3.  Do you need the dog bed to have any special attributes such as heated, weather resistant, or perhaps your older dog needs an orthopedic dog bed.

Fortunately most dog beds come in an array of colors and fabrics allowing you to find a dog bed that will satisfy your pooch without compromising your decor.  Just ask Millie (below).

Tired of the same old political crap? There is a way to relieve. And it’s
100% biodegradable.

via dogs 4 democrats

1) Lacerations/bite wounds: By are the most common wounds—about three times the incidence of any other injury - come mostly from cats and dogs mixing it up with other cats and dogs or wild animals.

Lacerations also occur when pet are involved in car crashes. So drive carefully.

2) Torn nail: It’s all about romping and stomping and fun until little Spanky snags a nail. The the howling and bleeding begin.

3) Insect bites/stings: The bites can be virtually harmless - you don’t even know your pet is bitten - or they can be extremely serious because of an animal’s hypersensitivity.

“Most of the time dogs are nosing around someplace, they’ll get bit and they’ll look like a Shar-pei,” said veterinarian Tony Kremer, from Hinsdale Animal Hospital.

4) Abrasions: The dog version of a skinned knee, said Kathleen Heneghan, past president of the Chicago Veterinary Medical Association and a veterinarian practicing in River Grove. Read the rest of this entry »

It’s those bears again!

Some people build swimming pools in their back yards. But outdoor pools in Alaska just won’t work.

Since this particular family lives on the outskirts of Anchorage, they decided to build a sturdy, colorful playground for their 3 and 4 year old sons, with smooth-stone gravel all around it to avoid knee scrapes and other injuries.

They finished building it on Saturday evening, and the following morning, as the Mom was about to wake up the boys and have them go out to play in their new play center, this is what she saw from the upstairs window.

Does a bear shit in the woods? Here is more documentation that supports this notion…

For more bear information visit Wisconsin bird feeder, a post that Stumble-upon stumbled upon over 200,000 times! Also, Wisconsin bird feeder. And Cat.

After many years of having a variety of pets—mammals, birds, reptiles, fish—we realize that a remedy is determined by your particular need at the time. Right now we have a 19-year-old blind cat who howls. We realize that we can bring in no new mammal playmate for our kitty.

For us, vet costs are higher as our cat has been on meds for his thyroid for three years. Let’s talk about the vet bills and how to keep them as low as possible.

We just read that in 1973 a vet opened a rural Kansas office and charged $6 for a visit. Things change: last year Americans spent more than $10 billion on veterinary care, according to the American Pet Products Manufacturers Association.

A single visit to a vet cost an average of $135 for a dog owner as of 2006, the last time the veterinary group took a survey of those costs. That’s up 83 percent from 10 years earlier. Inflation played a major role—the costs of office space, staff salaries, equipment and supplies have all shot up.

Pet owners also are demanding a higher level of care. “Years ago, if an animal had a serious cancer,” Gregory Hammer, president of the American Veterinary Medical Association, said, “someone would say to put him to sleep. Now they want to be referred to an oncologist.” Read the rest of this entry »

Though summer is upon us and there are many good summer tips to keep your pet out of harms way, here is year-round advice that can save a life.

An emergency situations calls for staying calm and making quick decisions. What should you do? Knowledge is power, so take the steps right now to learn how to handle an emergency. In addition to the first aid kit you have for home, camping, have a fully stocked pet first-aid kit (see below) know where the nearest 24-hour emergency pet clinic is. It could mean the difference between life and death. And act cautiously—animals in severe pain or fear may bite.

CAR ACCIDENTS
A pet that has been hit by a car needs to see a vet immediately. Internal bleeding is common, and outward signs of distress may not show for several hours. Also, puncture wounds that close rapidly can cause life-threatening infections later on. Enlist someone’s help in moving the animal by sliding a heavy towel beneath it. To avoid being bitten, tie a strip of cloth over your dog’s nose, or cover your cat’s face with a coat.

BLEEDING
Using direct pressure, apply a clean, dry cloth to the wound. If blood soaks through the first layer of fabric, add more so you don’t disrupt any clots that may be forming. Use a tourniquet only as a last resort, and make it just tight enough to significantly reduce the flow of blood. Loosen it every five minutes, and don’t keep it on for longer than 20 minutes. Transport your pet to the vet as soon as possible. Read the rest of this entry »

On average, caring for a cat costs $1500 annually and a dog $2000.

With the U.S. economy currently on very shaky ground the falloff is tighter family budgets or worse, completely new business models for family households. In an effort to help keep households together, including family pets, let’s talk about possibly surrendering your pet to a shelter, how to pinch pennies on pet-care, and, a philosophic POV on saving animals.

Downsizing the family to make ends meet.

If you feel that you really can no longer afford your pet please consider finding another family for your pet first. If you can’t find a foster home then take the animal to a shelter, don’t abandon your animal. Here’s a story that was in the Chicago Tribune several weeks ago…

More strays linked to once-happy homes.
The sad stories have been all over the news. Pet owners who have fallen on hard times are coming into shelters and reluctantly, sometimes tearfully, surrendering their animals. Read the rest of this entry »

To put a face to the name of the person you are blogging with, here is my screenshot of a post I am developing about, yep you guessed it, piggies.

These piggie images are 800px wide, about the average “source” image size. They will be displayed at 400px. If this blog was a two-column layout, the images might have been displayed at 600px. To put the screenshot in perspective I am using a 24 inch Cinema Display and all those icons along the right side are SOME of the applications I use. One dreads upgrades.

I have several analytical helpers to tell me who visits PM. Info includes, pages visited, referrers, search key words, country, computer software, size of screen, incoming links, outgoing links, with many many options I don’t use yet. You get the idea.

It comes as a surprise, from my traffic at least, the Internet Explorer browser is used less than 10% with Firefox in the 80% range. If you are developing ( coding ) sites, that is good news if you know what I mean. 1/2 of my visitors are unique. 60% from the USA, I am in Chicago. 15% from direct links, 45% from other sites, 40% from searches. Stumbleupon visitors are my biggest repeat referrers.

Oh, and if you have anything on piggies, please let PM know.

Well, that’s enough about me. Put a face to your name and let’s hear a little more about you. To do that here are easy to follow instructions to contact the same folks plus new friends. Read the rest of this entry »

What’s it mean? It means revealing a secret. Where did that
expression come from?

Image: Hans Neleman

Graham’s Random Ramblings. says, “Would appear as though in days of past one would trot off and buy a pig from your local butcher at the market. The pig would be placed in a bag for convenience. (The bag was called a “poke”). A dishonest butcher would replace the pig with a big cat. Now, if you opened the bag later, to find out that you had been taken for a ride, the cat was “let out of the bag”, the Butchers secret was exposed.

Back to the poke. If you buy a pig in a poke you have bought something worthless. From the same origin.

A number of sources say this is not true, the cat referred to is the cat ‘o nine tails, used to flog sailors in the Royal Navy. The whip was kept in a bag, and when taken out, it meant that the flogging was a certainty.”

Now Wikipedia didn’t know that!

What about “Horse Feathers”? Read the rest of this entry »