Pet Monologues

Dogs often seem to have limitless energy and robust constitutions, but don’t let this fool you: they are susceptible to all sorts of maladies, ranging from mild to life-threatening. That’s why it pays to have a relationship with a dependable, reassuring veterinarian (to ensure good treatment and quick treatment in an emergency), and to follow wise guidelines for dog-owners, which include regular checkups for your pooch and building your own store of knowledge about canine maladies, to catch treatable diseases early. Yes, dogs are energetic and robust by nature, but it’s your job to help keep them that way. In this article, you will find tips to help you do just that, including:

Choosing a Veterinarian

You don’t have to take Fido to the nearest vet, and you never have to use a vet whose manner doesn’t make you and your dog comfortable. Here are tips on finding the right veterinarian for both of you, including questions you can ask friends in order to get a strong word-of-mouth reference. We will also help you tell the difference between a problem with your dog that will clear up on its own and a major situation that needs to be seen by the vet right away.

Dog Disease Basics

Modern medicine has made dogs’ lives much more pleasant, and longer for sure. But there are illnesses that will always be part of dog life, and these are made more threatening because dogs often come in contact with other animals, which can transmit diseases to them. In fact, there are some diseases that can be transmitted from dog to man. So you need to be familiar with diseases such as rabies, distemper and others, in order to prevent them or catch them early in your own dog. Read the rest of this entry »

Owning a dog can be a lot of work. Among the main tasks involved in caring for your dog are feeding, bathing, grooming, and exercise.

Feeding Dogs

* In general, dry dog food is more nutritious than moist dog food. Any time you get a new pet, however, check with your veterinarian for dietary recommendations.

* Never offer your dog pork chop bones, chicken bones, or fish bones. These can splinter into sharp pieces and catch in your pet’s throat.

* If you must give your dog a bone, give only marrow or knuckle bones that have first been boiled to remove fat and grease that might cause diarrhea. Take the bone away as soon as it starts to splinter.

* If moist pet food is not eaten within two hours, refrigerate it.

* If you’re going to change your pet’s diet, do it gradually. A sudden change may be a shock to the animal’s system.

* Don’t feed a dog milk. It will probably give it diarrhea.

* On a hot day, be vigilant about your dog’s water supply. Fill your pet’s bowl with cold tap water and freshen it often. Read the rest of this entry »

The Keep It Clean pet dental kit instructional video.

A step-by-step guide on how to brush your pet’s teeth. Read the rest of this entry »

Bear attack victim gets serious about life.

A man who was attacked by a grizzly bear in Alaska has married his longtime girlfriend after she helped save his life. Read the rest of this entry »

Michael Vick agrees to plea bargain.

Lead defense attorney Billy Martin today said that Michael Vick has plead guilty to federal dogfighting conspiracy charges. Read the rest of this entry »

Vivi sighting?

Bonnie Folz sends this report:

<<A man saw what he believes to be Vivi on Saturday, just off the west-bound Northern Boulevard exit off the Van Wyck Expressway. Read the rest of this entry »

Woman buys clone of dead pet.

Not a very computer related tale, but one worth telling, comes from The Register, who have a tale of a curious cat. “Little Nicky” is a very special cat indeed, because he is a clone of his owner’s previous cat. Read the rest of this entry »

by Odessa (?)

Hi my Friend,

Oreo, I’m so sad to have to tell you this: Barney, one of our pet apple snails, died this Christmas eve. We were all very sad. Mom even cried. Barney and Mom were very close you know.

After Mom removed Barney from her home aquarium and put her to rest, Mom dried her eyes, pulled up a chair and started to tell us all about Barney’s life.

It was not a sad story Mom told us, Oreo, and it wasn’t not only about Barney’s life. This story of Barney’s life could be the story of millions of other pet apple snail lives all rolled into one story. I decided that I wanted to shareher story with you Oreo as I know you will be as interested init as I and my mates were.

Barney’s life was not at all like our lives. Barney was an amphibious snail. Where as you and I will live all our life on dry land, amphibious snails like Barney live their lives in water but they must come up to the surface of their aquariums, streams or ponds to breathe. They also lay their eggs just above the water’s surface. The rest of the time they spend under water. Read the rest of this entry »

Dead pets for sale.

(ARCHIVE) Remember being aghast to find your pet goldfish mysteriously floating upside down in a fishbowl? Or cringing at the sight of your cat mashed along the roadside? Read the rest of this entry »

It’s the word that I long to hear my husband say, but he has so much trouble uttering it…it begins with an “L” and he’s just too shy and self-conscious to say it aloud in public, but in the privacy of our home he’s not afraid to say…”Labradoodle.”

I first noticed this at the park. When a woman asked what kind of dog was attempting to strangle itself at the end of our leash, I began to say ‘labradoodle,’ but my husband steamrolled over me and said, “Oh, he’s a mutt. Some kind of lab mix. We aren’t really sure.” Her curiosity satisfied, she went on her way and I gave my husband an inquisitive look, which he shrugged off.

Next our neighbor, who isn’t exactly a dog person, asked where we got the blond wookie. A big strapping guy who spends way too much time polishing his Harley Davidson and too little riding it, he first remarked that we needed another dog “like Iraq needs sand.” Ha-ha. Then he pointed out that the dog looked like a big poodle. My husband bristled a bit. “Hey, he’s a lab. Well, he’s mostly lab. He’s not a poodle.” Read the rest of this entry »