Thursday, March 26, 2009

Shock Collars are Cruel

I recently watched an episode of America's Funniest Videos. One of the videos clips was of a man trying to program his dogs' shock collar. The man had the collar on himself and he was trying to adjust it, his dog barked and the collar shocked him and the man was in horrible pain. It wasn't very funny. It was disturbing to me because I thought of all the dogs that are subjected to that pain and shock every day.

Most dog experts agree that a combination of boundary setting, follow-up, and positive reinforcement work best when training young dogs. They also agree that negative reinforcement, such as hitting, spanking, or the use of electric shock collars, can have negative long term psychological, and sometimes physical effects on dogs.

According to the American Humane Society, shock collars are painful, cruel, and inhumane. Shock collars can be dangerous to pets, sometimes causing painful burns to a dog's skin. In England, there is a law under consideration that would ban shock collars.

I think that a requirement for the use of these collars should be that the owner needs to try it out first!

Wednesday, March 18, 2009

WARNING! - FLEA DROPS, COLLARS AND SHAMPOOS ARE CAUSING DEATH

Flea shampoos, collars and drops are causing tens of thousands of animals to have reactions such as: burned skin, seizures, vomiting and all the side effects of being poisoned. Thousands of animals have died.
The shampoos, collars and drops are manufactured by Sergeants, Bio Spot and Hartz. The ingredients that are poisoning these pets are Pyrethrins and Pyrethroids.

Thousands of complaints still have not resulted in these products being pulled from the shelves. The poisoning of innocent pets continues. There were 36,472 reported incidents in 2009 and 27, 216 reported in 2010. Statistics show that only 1-10% of side effects are reported. That means the numbers killed or injured by these products is staggering.

To read about some victims of these products go to: http://www.hartzvictims.org/

To read my blog on Natural Solutions for fleas go to "Problem with fleas - Natural Solutions" July 27, 2008.

Tuesday, March 17, 2009

Irish Dogs - Happy St. Patrick's Day


There are nine breeds of dogs that are native of Ireland. Dogs of great size are believed to come to Ireland from Greece by 1500 BC. The first definite mention of the Irish Wolfhound occurred in Rome in 391 AD.

The nine breeds are: Irish Red and White Setter; Irish Red Setter; Irish Wolfhound; Kerry Beagle; Irish Water Spaniel; Glen of Imaal Terrier; Kerry Blue Terrier; Irish Terrier; and Soft-Coated Wheaten Terrier.

HAPPY ST. PATRICK'S DAY !

Monday, March 16, 2009

Dogs and Protein


There seems to be a lot of misinformation of protein in the diet of dogs. Dogs perform best on animal based products. A good source of information regarding dogs and protein is in the B-Naturals Newsletter, written by Lew Olson, PhD Natural Health. For more information on dogs and protein; concerns about protein and kidney problems; protein and senior dogs; protein and puppies, click on the web address to the newsletter you would like to read.







Sunday, March 15, 2009

What Causes Hip Dysplasia?


Hip Dysplasia is the term that describes a poorly formed hip joint. The veterinary profession generally regards hip dysplasia as a genetic problem, complicated by a variety of environmental influences. It is common among dogs. Along with genetics being passed down, it can skip a generation or two, other causes are improper nutrition, over use due to too much exercise and over vaccinations of young developing animals.

Dr. Pitcairn in his book "Complete Guide to Natural Health for Dogs and Cats" says part of the preventive program is to minimize the effects by using the smallest number of vaccines possible and using them as infrequently as you can. Puppies are usually over-vaccinated, which can cause a whole lot of health problems. A good preventative is to give lots of Vitamin C (ascorbic acid). The instructions are in his book of how much to give the pregnant female and then how much to give puppies to prevent the disease. He recommends giving older dogs that have hip dysplasia, 500 milligrams to two grams a day. Start out giving a small amount and build up to a higher amount and give in divided doses with breakfast and dinner.

I wrote 4 blogs about the dangers of vaccines, August 8, 9, 10, and 11th, 2008.
Holistic veterinarians use acupuncture with great success if started early. Supplements also have been successful, MSM, glucosamines, omega 3 fatty acids and Vitamin C.

Friday, March 13, 2009

March is National Nutritional Month


I received the March newsletter from Only Natural Pet Store. I thought you would find it interesting. This month's newsletter has a lot of information regarding Food Safety, Pet Food Recalls and what ingredients should not be in your pets' food.

Their website has natural foods and supplements for sale and also has interesting articles, etc. You can also sign up to receive their free newsletter. For more information go to: http://www.onlynaturalpet.com/

For the link to this month's newsletter go to:
http://www.onlynaturalpet.com/emails/031209b.html?click=73581

Sunday, March 1, 2009

Happy Birthday Buddy! - How Old is My Dog in Human Years?




Buddy celebrated his 5th birthday yesterday. My granddaughter made sure that Buddy had a grand celebration with streamers (some draped on him!), balloons, presents and a dog food cake with candles. Buddy barks when we sing "Happy Birthday" and that blows out his candles, it's pretty funny. Buddy turned 5 years old which is 36 in human years.

Contrary to popular belief, one "dog year" does not equal seven human years. The veterinarians are using a different chart. How long a dog lives also varies with the breed of dog, and the size of breed. Small breeds tend to live longer and giant breeds have a life expectancy that is significantly shorter. While it is fun to know the relative age of your pet in human years, it can also help you understand your dog's behavior, his special needs as he gets older, and different nutritional requirements as he progresses through life. The chart shown is a fairly accurate measure of the relative age of the average dog when compared to humans.

Age of Pet -"Human Years"
1 year = 15 years
2 years = 24 years
3 years = 28 years
4 years = 32 years
5 years = 36 years
6 years = 40 years
7 years = 44 years
8 years = 48 years
9 years = 52 years
10 years = 56 years
11 years = 60 years
12 years = 64 years
13 years = 68 years
14 years = 72 years
15 years = 76 years
16 years = 80 years
17 years = 84 years
18 years = 88 years
19 years = 89 years
20 years = 93 years