Summer's coming – and that means vacation's coming too! Yay! And you've got to make the reservations, pack, get that last-minute pedi, pack for your S.O./kids, try to find the travel charger…the lead-up to leaving on a trip can get stressful and disorganized in a hurry. (At least at our house. We have narrowly missed packing a sleeping cat in our suitcases sooooo many times.)
Scheduling and prepping for the pet-sitter can add another half-dozen hassles to your pre-flight checklist, but it doesn't have to. By standardizing your pet-sitter prep so it's the same each time you leave town, and creating easy-to-modify documents for reference, you can cross this task off your to-do list in just a few minutes – and reduce the stress level for you AND your animals. Four tips for prepping the pet-sitter (and the pets!) for your vacation.
Have a home visit. It's wise to do this during the vetting process (no pun intended) when you're selecting a sitter; introducing the animals to the temporary
Blog Posts by Sarah D. Bunting
Pet food recalled after salmonella outbreak
By Sarah D. Bunting | Healthy Living – Tue, May 8, 2012 10:47 AM EDT
UPDATE 5/11/12: Recall expands to 39 states total, plus Puerto Rico, and may cover more brands than initially thought. Click here for more details.
Check your pantry shelves – a nationwide recall of products from Diamond Pet Foods may affect you and your pets.
The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention says it's looking into a salmonella outbreak – in humans – that may trace back to Diamond Pet Foods' dog food. The affected food was manufactured in South Carolina, but the illness has cropped up in 14 people across nine states overall. CDC investigators believe it's possible that those who have fallen ill with the rare strain of salmonella got sick via contact with dogs who had eaten the tainted food, or the food itself.The recall has expanded since April, when Diamond -- whose website touts its products as "holistic" and "all-natural," and gives pride of place to its purified-water cooking process -- pulled just three brands. Now, as a precaution, the company has broadened the
Read More »from Pet food recalled after salmonella outbreakMeow, country's heaviest cat, dies
By Sarah D. Bunting | Animal Nation – Mon, May 7, 2012 12:38 PM EDT
Read More »from Meow, country's heaviest cat, dies
Meow passed away of complications due to obesity last weekendMeow, allegedly the country's heaviest feline, passed away over the weekend after developing respiratory complications.
The nation met the rotund kitty last month after his 87-year-old owner dropped him off at the Santa Fe Animal Shelter, claiming she could no longer care for him – no surprise, given that Meow tipped the scales at 39 pounds. The average cat Meow's "height" weighs 8-12 pounds; an equivalent-sized human would weigh around 600 pounds.
The orange-and-white tabby became a media sensation, appearing on Anderson Cooper's show and elsewhere in an effort to find a new home (and perhaps raise awareness of the country's growing pet-obesity problem). But Meow's high weight put him at risk of life-threatening complications, which sadly took his life before his new caretakers' dietary measures could show a benefit. "We are devastated," Mary Martin, the Santa Fe shelter's executive director, commented. "We were in a race against time to get the weight off Meow before he developed
Singer Cyrus added to her brood of dogs with an abandoned puppy she's named Happy. The name is apparently an attempt to change the pup's luck, as the little guy – possibly a Rottie/Beagle mix – was left in a box in front of a Wal-Mart store. "I don't understand how people can be so cruel," the Hannah Montana grad tweeted earlier this week, then followed up with a snapshot of the dog keeping her company at the hairdresser.
Bob Barker with friends in the "Truth or Consequences" era, 1963Some happy news in the celebrity-pet headlines from the last couple of days: Miley Cyrus and Bob Barker have both lent a big hand to overlooked animals.VIDEO: Dog alerts sleeping owner to fire
Read More »from Cyrus, Barker help animals in need
Happy joins a dog-ful household that already includes Lila, Floyd, and Ziggy. Cyrus's main squeeze, Liam Hemsworth of The Hunger Games, was spotted buying pet food and a new dog bed earlier in the week, according to People. We hope he's getting a bulk rate on that kibble.
Elsewhere, former Price Is Right host and longtime animal activist Bob Barker, who used to close the game
New Zealander Geoff Cox makes sure his dog Ralph surfs safelyIf your dog loves to swim, her favorite time of year is coming. The weather's warming up, and that means taking the cover off the pool, or heading to rivers and lakes for day trips and long weekends.But even dogs who take to water like big furry fish can run into trouble at the water's edge. Keep your canines safe (if not dry!) this summer with just a little bit of prep and prevention.
Read More »from Water safety for dogs
Supervision. Don't let your dogs walk, run, or play near a backyard pool, or nearby pond or creek, unless you can keep an eye on them. If you have a pool, fence it off for safety (this can prevent harm from coming to kids and cats as well); make it even more secure by installing an alarm that will sound when an object of a certain size – a Cocker Spaniel or a small child – falling into the water. Gina Spadafori's helpful article suggests in-pool "escape ramps" as a good idea, but you shouldn't rely on them exclusively.
VIDEO: Water-skiing squirrel
Education. Make sure your dog knows what to do when he's in
Read More »from Woman bites dog
But not in this nice, loving way.It's fitting that today's "what the?" pets story comes from The Daily Beast: according to Michael Daly's story yesterday, 19-year-old Analise Garner was arrested in the Illinois village of Lake in the Hills after biting her family's dog. Kingston, a bulldog, suffered "numerous" bites to the back during the fracas, which seems to have begun as a fight between Garner and her mother.
Kingston eventually got fed up with the crazy and bit Garner back – and even though he was provoked by Garner biting him first, the McHenry County animal-control authorities were notified, as they must be any time a dog bites a human. The "standard bite report" cited by Daly's article listed Kingston as a three-year-old neutered male, weighing 80 pounds and having no history of biting prior to Sunday morning's dust-up. But though it looks like Kingston is the victim here, he's in a mandatory 10-day quarantine at home anyway. Garner is also quarantined, away from the family apartment, for three days herself,Pet telepathy: Therapeutic, or ridiculous?
By Sarah D. Bunting | Pets – Mon, Apr 30, 2012 1:08 PM EDT
Debora Poynter, an "animal communicator" based in Green Bay, WI, isn't comfortable comparing herself with Dr. Doolittle. In a Green Bay Press-Gazette piece written by Charles Davis last weekend, Poynter notes that the fictional version is "exaggerated," adding that, "Obviously, the dog isn't going to speak English."
But Poynter's claim that she can talk with dogs, cats, and many other species telepathically isn't any easier to believe on the basis that they're not using correct grammar. Even if you believe in extra-sensory abilities like telepathy, there's something faintly absurd about Poynter's assertion that she's communed mentally with squirrels. Furthermore, Davis's description of Poynter's customary process makes it sound like a 976-TAROT type of scam; Poynter usually speaks to owners via phone while looking at photos of their animals, because having the pets there in person "can be distracting."
VIDEO: Cat survives cross-country moving-truck adventureSome owners believe in
Read More »from Pet telepathy: Therapeutic, or ridiculous?
Read More »from The down side of dog parks
Many urban dog-owners swear by their local dog parks. For canine companions who live in apartments or don't have access to a yard, the opportunity to gallop around, roll in dirt, and have "play dates" with other dogs at the dog run is really important.
But dangers can lurk in the grass. We've all heard (or made) the jokes about day-cares for human children doubling as petri dishes for every cough and cold in town – but the same can go for the dog park. That doesn't mean you shouldn't take Rex for an afternoon of happy digging and fetching, but you CAN be aware and prepared.
Six things that could endanger your dog at the dog park:
Bites. Not every other dog owner is as conscientious as you; occasionally, you could run into a dog with behavioral problems or aggression issues – or a usually well-behaved dog who's gotten startled by a bee sting or something. And if you have a Maltese who's sharing the enclosure with Great Danes, well, accidents happen. Keep an eye on your dog, and on other
Read More »from Celeb's dog snatched by hawk
Moakler, shown here at a Fraggle Rock toy drive in '09, has lost 2 pets in the last monthIt would be comedic, if it weren't so sad: former Playboy Playmate and "Dancing With The Stars" contestant Shanna Moakler tweeted earlier in the week that her Chihuahuas had gotten attacked by an eagle.
We're actually not sure an eagle did the dive-bombing of Moakler's pets – Moakler herself told Hollyscoop.com that she lives in a neighborhood "where coyotes and hawks are prevalent." Irrespective of the avian species, however, Moakler's tweets from Monday afternoon reveal that predatory wildlife is an ongoing problem for owners of small pets. "A eagle attacked my 2 chi's today, my girl pup is at the vet, my boy is missing, between my cat and my pups, I'm about to [expletive] kill things," a distressed Moakler tweeted late Monday. "I am so incredibly sad."
So what exactly happened? Moakler's exclusive statement to Hollyscoop described a regular afternoon walkies gone terribly awry: "We took the dogs outside to go to the bathroom and they were attacked by a hawk. My one puppy may have lostAlmost nothing is more adorable than a tiny puppy. The little ears! The screwed-shut eyes! But a new puppy isn't just a micro-bundle of cuteness; he also comes with some responsibilities for his owner (and his mom). Lisa Moore's excellent piece on what to expect, and how to work with a little hound, during his first 8 weeks of life is a great starting point for learning what puppies do and need during their infancy. Below, a few highlights.
Read More »from Puppies: the first 3 months
Until he's about 12 days old, a puppy really can't do anything. He can't see, or hear. He can't pee and poop by himself, or regulate his body temperature; he needs his mom to feed him, keep him warm, and get his systems online. That doesn't mean you can't pick him up, though. Moore notes that "[d]aily human handling" may help your pup manage stresses better when he gets older. (Is your puppy an orphan? Good for you for helping out! Consult closely with your vet to see how to proceed.)
Next up is the "transitional period," which lasts around two weeks.
