Archive for the ‘Uncategorized’ Category
Punxsatwny Phil was a little off his game this year.
The furry weather prognosticator predicted six more weeks of winter, so weve been punxed– but in a good way. Who could complain about 70 degree temperatures in March!
That said, our pets must adjust to the changing seasons more quickly than usual. And owners should be mindful of both indoor and outdoor hazards as they leap into lawn and garden chores, spring cleaning, travel, and higher activity levels.
Here are tips to help Fluffy and Fido enjoy a safe, happy spring and summer:
Increase Exercise Slowly
While warmer temperatures invite more strenuous physical activity, joggers and bicyclers should realize not all dogs have the endurance for miles of running, though theyll do their best to keep up. Gradually increase distance and observe dogs for signs of heavy panting or possible heat exhaustion and remember, sun-roasted macadam can burn a dogs sensitive paws. They arent little shoes!
Secure Windows and Screens
Theres nothing more refreshing than a cool breeze airing out the house, but loose or poor fitting screens can be an easy escape hatch for curious kitties and pups. Check all screens and window frames to assure everything fits tightly before leaving pets home alone with the windows open.
Keep Pests Off Pets
Apply your normal flea/tick control preventative now, as the little buggers woke up early this year. Spot-on or tablet preventatives are far more effective than flea collars which only protect a small portion of the pets body and dont actually kill fleas. One exception is the Preventic Tick Collar the gold standard in tick control– for highly infested areas and can be used with regular flea control products.
Spring Clean With Care
The chemicals in most household cleaning products pose risks to pets, so keep all cleaners and chemicals out of your pets reach. Read and follow label directions for proper use and storage.
Avoid Contact With Lawn amp; Garden Chemicals
Fertilizers, insecticides and herbicides may create healthy plants and lush lawns, but their ingredients can be harmful to our four-legged friends. Avoid formal lawns with pesticide treated signs or altogether as the chemicals can irritate paws and, if licked off by cats or dogs, can be extremely toxic. Avoid cocoa-based mulch which contains theobromine, the toxic ingredient in chocolate. Dogs and cats find the smell appealing but ingestion can be fatal. For a complete list of pet-safe lawn/garden tips visit www.aspca.org.
Vets say dogs and cats turn old halfway through life
Posted by: Admin
April 17th, 2012 >> Uncategorized
But not everyone agrees, and rescuers say those definitions can be a death sentence to older animals in need of homes.
Dr. Emily Pointer, staff internist and medical coordinator at the American Society for the Prevention of Cruelty to Animals Bergh Memorial Animal Hospital in New York, said she considers the last third of life the sunset years.
That seems fairly crazy, she said of the AMVA designations. I would never consider a person in their 40s or 50s to be senior.
The AVMA said the oldest cat on record was 34, the oldest dog was 29.
Forget the notion that seven dog years equal one human year, the AVMA said. A 7-year-old dog weighing less than 50 pounds is like a 44- to 47-year-old human; 10 equals 56- to 60-year-old humans; 15 is like a 76- to 83-year-old; and 20 is like a 96- to 105-year-old human, the group said.
Pet health improved in the 1950s and 60s when commercial dog food and vaccinations became popular and spaying and neutering increased, said Stephen Zawistowski, ASPCA executive vice president and science adviser.
Technology has advanced and todays owners are more willing to go the distance for their pets, Pointer said.
In the past, if your cat was diagnosed with diabetes, the recommendation was probably to euthanize the cat. Now, a lot fewer people are willing to do that because its a treatable disease, Pointer said.
Kristin Dewey of Los Angeles has an 18-year-old Ragdoll cat named Cokie. He fell from an 80-foot palm tree 16 years ago and seemed OK until four years ago when something temporarily paralyzed him and left him incontinent.
Indoor-only cats that are loved and treated like family start to get old around 15 but can still live good lives until 19 or more. They may be a little creaky and have some health issues, but so do we all, Dewey said.
Pointer agreed: Well-loved pets live longer than unloved pets.
We find that most dogs become geriatric after age 12, and that at 12-ish they are like humans at 65, said Judith Piper, founder and executive director of the rescue group Old Dog Haven in Lake Stevens, Wash.
Most shelters consider dogs old at 8, Piper said, so Old Dog Haven works with dogs 8 and older.
The group tries to place the 8- to 12-year-olds they rescue from shelters and find final refuge homes for those older than 12.
At age 14, Solomon is one of those final refuge or hospice dogs. Part Dalmatian and part German shepherd, he has been with Lisa Black for 30 months.
Black owns the Stardust Salon and Spa in Seattle and Solomon goes to work with her every day to greet customers. If they dont like him, its not the place for them, Black said.
Old dogs are usually good with other dogs and housebroken. They are easy and dont require a lot of trips to the park. They are usually happy with us and do whatever we want, she said.
Losing them is hard, she said, but you focus on the dog. Its what Old Dog Haven does so they dont end up alone in a shelter. We give them a happy ending, Black said.
Even if the time they have with the dog is short, its worth it, Piper added.
Dori Repuyan of Columbus, Ohio, said Tucker, a 60-pound German shepherd-beagle mix her family rescued nine years ago is between 11 and 13.
She worries that calling dogs old so young will cost them good homes because people dont want old dogs.
Tucker started showing his age a few years ago, Repuyan said. He stopped running with her, limited his walking and had trouble jumping on the bed. He started going gray and when he tore a ligament, developed weight problems. Repuyan and her husband had two children and it seemed to depress Tucker, she said.
They rescued Phoebe, a small, young dog that brought Tucker out of his funk. However, Tucker now sees the vet more often, gets a supplement for arthritis and is no longer allowed on the stairs.
Its not so much that pets are living longer than their life expectancy, although they are, but we are taking better care of them and they are surviving longer. Sixty is the new 40 is true for pets, said Fadra Nally, a writer and blogger from Raleigh, NC
Nally figures large dogs should be old at 8 and small dogs and cats old at 9 or 10.
Tracie Hotchner of Bennington, Vt., author of The Dog Bible and The Cat Bible, believes the AVMAs numbers are right.
It raises peoples awareness of the need to get more frequent and more thorough wellness checks, she said. Not enough people respect the fairly serious physical changes that take place in older cats and dogs and the kind of preventive care thats available.
Dogs dont have middle age, she said.
At 6 or 7, pets can experience kidney failure, digestion problems, arthritis, obesity, teeth trouble or other ailments that can be treated.
Hotchner has two older dogs with knee problems. They had surgeries, are on medication and undergoing stem cell therapy harvested from their own belly fat, she said.
The quality of their lives has been extended decisively because of those things, she said.
EC dismisses reports of new party formed by Rawlings
Posted by: Admin
April 15th, 2012 >> Uncategorized
The Electoral Commission says its records do not show the Rawlingses have registered or are in the process of forming a new political party.
Some media reports suggest Mr. Rawlings has abandoned the governing National Democratic Congress (NDC) he founded in 1992 to form a new political party called the National Democratic Party to rival it.
The reports add that the ex-president’s men have been travelling across the country with electoral commission party registration forms to collect the necessary signatures towards certification of the said NDP.
But Joy News checks at the EC reveal there is no such party on record.
The Electoral Commission has this year worked on four new political parties. The list does not include the National Democratic Party reported to have been formed.
The four parties known to the EC include Dr. Paa Kwesi Nduom’s Progressive Peoples Party and the Unity Development System Party certified around the same time as the PPP. The third is the Independent Peoples Party or IPP whose founders are yet to go for their certificate which has been sitting at the EC offices for some time now. The fourth and final political party that has come to the attention of the EC this year is the Ghana Freedom Party or GFP and Joy News checks reveal it is proposed by a woman from the Ashanti Region.
This woman is not former first lady Nana Konadu Agyeman Rawlings or someone associated with the Rawlingses. Officials at the EC are empathic that the supposed National Democratic Party reported to have been formed by Mr. Rawlings is certainly not on their records.**
Senate OKs bill to include pets in restraining orders
Posted by: Admin
April 14th, 2012 >> Uncategorized
By Bob Katzen
THE HOUSE AND SENATE: Beacon Hill Roll Call records the votes of local senators on two roll calls from the week of March 19-23. There were no roll calls in the House last week.
RESTRAINING ORDERS WOULD INCLUDE PETS (S 2184) — Senate 33-0, approved an amendment that would allow the inclusion of pets in temporary restraining orders. The measure would allow the court to temporarily award the possession of an animal to the victim and to prohibit the accused abuser from abusing, threatening or taking the pet.
Supporters pointed to cases in which animals are abused or even killed by the abuser in order to threaten the victim. They pointed to a study that showed half of battered women delay leaving a violent situation because they fear for their pets.
(A Yes vote is for the amendment.)
Sen. Eileen Donoghue: Yes; Sen. James Eldridge: Yes ; Sen. Jennifer Flanagan: Yes
COUNT PETS WHO ARE LICENSED (S 2184)– Senate 4-29, rejected an amendment that would require the states Division of Agricultural Resources for five years to file an annual report with the Legislature detailing the number of dogs, cats and ferrets that have been licensed in each city and town during the previous year.
The amendment was proposed to a bill that changes some of the states animal control laws including allowing cities and towns to set their own fees for dog licensing. Current law sets a statewide uniform
Pets have their day Saturday, with two local animal groups in Craven and Pamlico counties hosting morning and evening fundraising events.
The Pamlico Animal Welfare Society presents its annual Pet Parade Saturday morning at Lou Mac Park in Oriental.
Registration is from 10 to 11 am, with the parade shortly after. There is an awards ceremony at noon. Entry fee is $5 per dog. Costumes for dogs are optional and prizes will be awarded in various categories.
The activities include food vendors, live entertainment by the Pamlico Community Band and ribbons for various categories.
The pet parade will also have a raffle for a dog/cat gift basket, which includes a $100 voucher good at any veternarian office in Pamlico County. Raffle tickets are $1 or six for $5.
Tickets will also be on sale for a future raffle of a painting of dogs and cats by Oriental artist Maggie Arndt.
For Pamlico Animal Welfare Society information, call 252-745-7297.
The fourth annual Fur Ball to benefit local animal rescue groups is Saturday at the New Bern Riverfront Convention Center.
The theme is Passion for Paws Benefit for the 6:30 pm event presented by Jills Pet Gallery.
It features a semi-formal dinner catered by the Chelsea, dancing, a silent auction, 50-50 draw and Luck of the Paw raffles.
There is also a guest speaker, Calley Gerber, from Gerber Animal Law Center. That is a North Carolina law firm dedicated to the protection of animals and their legal rights.
Tickets are $60. Tables of 10 are $550.
For information or tickets, call Nauti Paws at 252-637-0247, or visit 208 Middle St. in New Bern.
Proceeds benefit Colonial Capital Humane Society; Croatan Animal Rescue amp; Sanctuary; Home at Last Animal Foundation; Mid-Atlantic Great-Dane Rescue League; Pals for Paws and Leash on Life.
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Chongqing, China (CNN) — In this sprawling Chinese metropolis of some 30 million residents, new details have emerged in the story linking a disgraced former Communist Party chief with a dead British businessman.
Until two weeks ago, Bo Xilai was the charismatic — albeit controversial — leader of Chongqing, known for his fight against organized crime and his devotion to Maoist ideology.
His sudden sacking from his powerful post has lifted the name Neil Heywood from the shadows to be a key link in a story of intrigue and betrayal that goes all the way to Chinas normally secretive top leadership.
Heywood was found dead last November in a hotel room here in southwestern China. Officials quickly ruled excessive consumption of alcohol as the cause of death, media reports say, and his body was cremated without an autopsy.
Now, the British government is calling on the Chinese authorities to reopen the Heywood case because of reported suspicious circumstances surrounding his death.
Amid this deepening mystery, Bos record in Chongqing faces increasing scrutiny as once-silenced critics start to tell their stories.
`News reports of polio case in West Bengal wrong`
Posted by: Admin
April 10th, 2012 >> Uncategorized
New Delhi: An 18-month old girl from West Bengal, who media reports had claimed was suffering from polio, has tested negative for the virus, the Union Health Ministry said today.
Both the stool samples of the child were found negative for polio in the Institute of Serology Kolkata, the ministry said in statement today.
The ministry statement said that a section of media flashed the girl named Sumi`s case as a `polio case` and reported it as a huge setback to India`s polio eradication program.
In its statement, the ministry said that the child Sumi Naskar from Baruipur, 24-Parganas South, was admitted to a hospital in Kolkata earlier this month from where she was picked up by the polio surveillance network for investigation.
As part of surveillance for polio, any child less than 15 years of age who suddenly develops floppiness or weakness or paralysis in any part of the body is investigated thoroughly, the ministry said.
These cases are called Acute Flaccid Paralysis (AFP) cases. Polio is one of the several causes of AFP and not the only cause for AFP, the ministry further said.
Two stool samples of the girl were collected on 13 March and 14 March and sent to the Institute of Serology Kolkata for investigation, the ministry said and added that stool samples are collected from all AFP cases and tested to rule out polio as a cause of the illness.
Sumi is one of the many AFP cases detected this year and investigated for polio. In 2012 so far, around 9,000 AFP cases have been investigated by NPSP with the support of local
health authorities, the ministry statement said.
The ministry said that all the stool samples of these AFP cases had tested negative for polio and an update of the cases under investigation is available on the website of the
National Polio Surveillance Project.
The Health ministry said that India has not reported any case of polio since 13 January 2011 and has been struck off the list of countries with active endemic wild polio transmission in February 2012.
The ministry in its statement, however, added that the job is not yet done.
Last Chance: Give Pets a Chance at L.I.’s Biggest Adopt-A-Thon
Posted by: Admin
April 9th, 2012 >> Uncategorized
Last Chance: Give Pets a Chance at LIs Biggest Adopt-A-Thon
Adopt-a-thon at Polish Hall will feature nine pet rescue groups, over 100 dogs and 50 cats.
Think an elderly family member is better off with a pet? You may want to think again.
Sure, there have been hundreds of articles claiming dogs and cats can lower blood pressure, zap stress and combat depression and loneliness. But some experts say the evidence that pet companionship is healthy is not all that definitive. And for the elderly, having a dog and cat can be both stressful and dangerous.
Falls involving pets and their paraphernalia are an underappreciated health hazard. Over 86,000 people per year have to go to the emergency room because of falls involving their dogs and cats, and these fractures can be devastating for the elderly, said Judy Stevens, an epidemiologist with the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention and lead author of a report on this peril.
If we were giving a drug that had such a serious side effect, wed consider taking that drug off the market, said Harold Herzog, professor of psychology at Western Carolina University.
In a 2011 report in the journal Current Directions in Psychological Science, Dr. Herzog took aim at a central tenet of pet ownership: the widely touted evidence that pets are good for people.
Take a truth that we animal-lovers hold to be self-evident that pets cheer us up. A December 2011 study in The Journal of Personality and Social Psychology found that pet owners had greater self-esteem, were less lonely and tended to be less fearful than people without pets. And another study reported that pets eased depression and agitation and improved nutritional well-being among nursing home patients with dementia and Alzheimers.
Dr. Herzog, who is also author of “Some We Love, Some We Hate, Some We Eat: Why It’s So Hard to Think Straight About Animals,” is having none of it. Contradictory findings havent gotten anywhere near as much publicity, he said. A 2011 study of elderly people in Pennsylvania found that the more attached they were to their pets, the more depressed they were, he pointed out.
Researchers have reported more than once that if you have a strong social network, having pets won’t make you any happier.
Indeed, a new study of 8,709 adolescents in Sweden, published this month, found that those with pets reported more psychological problems than those without.
A survey of 3,000 Americans by the Pew Center found no difference between pet owners and people without pets in the proportion who rated themselves very happy. And Dr. Herzog cited a 2007 longitudinal study in England showing that even though people who got pets said they felt happier and less lonely, their responses on more objective psychological tests didnt show them to be.
As for pets easing stress and lowering blood pressure, a widely cited benefit, Dr. Herzog acknowledged one good, clinically controlled study to back the conclusion. (There was another, arguably: Medicare patients with pets reported feeling less stress than people without pets and visited doctors offices less often.)
Some of those results have been tough to replicate. Two similar studies (published in Anthrozoos in 1997 and in Epidemiology in 2007) found that the presence of pets did not lower blood pressure.
Furthermore, among the elderly, pets can actually add to the stress, rather than ease it, if the aging owners find it difficult to keep up with the care.
Getting outside a few times a day to walk the pet is an incredible burden thats why most of our clients are elderly, said Rachel Herman, founder of Pets are Wonderful Support, or PAWS, a New York City nonprofit group that helps low-income residents care for their pets. And often they cant afford the vet.”
And then theres the heartbreak that the death of a beloved pet can bring.
Grief over an animal is very real, said Alan Beck, professor of animal ecology at the Purdue University School of Veterinary Medicine, who has conducted research on the positive effects of pets on Alzheimers patients. But Dr. Beck thinks the benefits of ownership probably outweigh the drawbacks for the elderly.
Both sides agree that pets can help increase the amount of exercise their owners get. A Canadian study found that dog owners walked nearly twice as much per week, 300 minutes, compared with their dog-free counterparts, clocking in at only 168 minutes (though a California study by the National Cancer Institute credited dog owners with walking only 18.9 minutes more each week than people without dogs).
But the evidence is mixed regarding pets and heart disease. One of the first peer-reviewed studies into the healing power of pets, in 1980, found that 28 percent of pet owners survived the risky first year after a heart attack, while only 6 percent of patients without pets did. And even cats, which rarely submit to walks, somehow lowered their owners chances of dying of heart attack, stroke and other cardiovascular diseases, compared with people who didnt own a cat, according to a new study by the University of Minnesota Stroke Research Center.
But just to show you how slippery pet research can be, this same Minnesota research did not find any heart-attack protection among owners of dogs (or any other pets).
And Dr. Herzog said, after excusing himself for a minute to let his cat in during our phone call, theres another study in which cat owners had four times the hospital readmission rate of non-cat owners after a heart attack.
So is pet ownership healthy or harmful for the elderly? There is little debate about the safety and success of pet programs that bring animals into nursing homes or hospitals for patients to play with and pet.
But individual pet ownership may be a different proposition, and it depends a great deal on the strengths and weaknesses of the owner. Im not a Grinch, said Dr. Herzog, but the science is not as clear as most people think.
Dr. Beck countered: Herzogs wrong, even if he is a friend. Hed probably like to find that apple pie causes cancer.
He added, When the benefits are so much larger than the risk, you take the risk.
Are they? Do you?
A British charity is running a strict weight-loss contest for some of the countrys most obese pets.
Pet Fit Club, organized by the Peoples Dispensary for Sick Animals (PDSA), will slim down 18 overweight pets — including Fifi the cat, who tips the scales at 20.5 pounds (9.3 kilograms) and a Border Collie called Merlin who weighs a whopping 93 pounds (42.2 kilograms).
The four-legged finalists comprise 11 dogs, five cats and two rabbits, carrying a combined excess weight of more than 152 kilograms (335 pounds), the equivalent of 380 cans of dog food.
The pets will undergo a six-month battle of the bulge, aided by specialist vets who will provide them with balanced diet and exercise plans.
Sean Wensley, PDSA senior veterinary surgeon, said, Excess pounds can contribute to a number of serious health conditions and, sadly, it does reduce life expectancy. The good news is that its never too late to make positive changes to a pets diet and lifestyle.
The most successful slimmer will win a years worth of pet food and a pet-friendly vacation with their owner.
Around 2.9 million dogs and three million cats in Britain are overweight, the PDSA said.