Blog Posts by Webvet

By WebVet.com
2120080603135524catwithteeth An Oregon woman is in recovery after contracting the plague -- yes, the plague -- from a stray cat over the summer.

The unidentified Good Samaritan came into contact with the afflicted kitty when she and a friend tried to save its life. The two discovered the feline choking on a mouse, but were bitten as they tried unsuccessfully to clear its airway.

Luckily the woman sought medical treatment immediately after suffering a fever, chills and pain in the lymph nodes -- early symptoms of the disease. She was treated with antibiotics and has since recovered.

Although doctors suspected the source of her illness, it wasn't officially diagnosed as the plague until last week after lab results from the federal Centers for Disease Control confirmed it was the extremely rare affliction.

"We got to her just in time," said Karen Yeargain of the Crook County Health Department. "If this hadn't happened, we would have had another critically ill person on our hands."

The plague

By WebVet.com

It's been a big year for big pets. The Guinness Book of World Records has singled out a slew of supersize animals in their 2013 edition.

Unfortunately for Debby Maraspini, the honor of "tallest cat ever" was bestowed up her Savannah cat named Trouble after his death. Trouble passed away on August 15, 2012 at the age of four -- but not until after his 19-inch height was recorded by Guinness officials, allowing him to live on as a mark of history.

The Savannah cat is a hybrid breed that is a cross between an African Serval and a domestic feline. Savannahs are an especially social cat breed and are sometimes compared to dogs because of their loyal demeanor and playful nature.

Unsurprisingly it was a Great Dane who took the "Tallest Living Dog" honor. Appropriately named Zeus, this Michigan pup stands above the rest of the canine population at 3 feet, 6 inches from paw to shoulder. He's as impressively long, stretching 7 feet, 4 inches from nose to tail.

Although Zeus's

By WebVet.com
Who gets me?As a pet owner himself, Charles Regal knows that animals are much more than the property they are treated as in divorce court. That is why - armed with a master's degree in social work and mediation training certification - he began a specialized practice in pet custody mediation, where separating couples can pursue mutually satisfactory custody agreements for their dog, cat, bird or small animal.

Choosing a mediator over a lawyer

In addition to potentially astronomical legal fees and long waiting period a former couple could face by going to court to determine custody of a shared pet, the U.S. legal system treats animals no differently than a piece of furniture. According to StraightDivorce.com, such a determination is made after examining receipts indicating which partner had been the functional owner of the pet, by way of expenses for medical treatments, training, nutrition and grooming. Regal, on the other hand, does not produce a legally binding arrangement,

By WebVet.com
Monty in the Olympics opening ceremony There's sad news out of England, where the palace has announced the death of Monty and Cider; two of the Queen's beloved corgis.

Monty's demise comes just after he reached stardom; the pooch was featured alongside the Queen during the opening ceremony of the London Olympics, where they starred alongside James Bond -- aka Daniel Craig. Its believed that Monty, who was 13, died of old age earlier this summer.

The palace also confirmed the loss of Cider, a dachshund-corgi crossbreed known as a "dorgi." The deaths were separate and unrelated incidents, but both reportedly occurred while the Queen was at Balmoral. They are believed to have been buried in the royal pet cemetery and will be receiving headstones.

However the Queen is not without canine companionship; she still has four dogs remaining with her in the house of Windsor: corgis Willow and Holly, and dorgis Candy and Vulcan.
Corgis, dorgis . . . how many of these dogs exist? Several, actually.

There are two

By WebVet.com

Karma does exist. If you need proof, look no further than Melanie Cannon and Eddie Hanna, a Florida couple who spent the money they'd saved for their wedding to pay for their dog's medical bills.

The couple adopted a pit bull named Koda last year and soon discovered that the rescued runt of his litter suffered from what a vet called, "the worst case of liver shunt that he'd ever seen." They were told he'd need to be on medication for the rest of his life.

This was the second bad hand the couple was dealt. They had already lost a large chunk of their wedding fund when their originally-planned nuptials were canceled in the wake of Melissa's grandmother's death.

They said spending the rest of the money on Koda was a no-brainer. "We just did what anybody would've done," Hanna told the Daytona Beach News-Journal. "He deserves to be alive and to be loved."

Here's where karma comes into play. When their Humane Society learned of the couple's story, they approached local

By WebVet.com
Romney or Obama? Hmmm...Election season is heating up and it seems like everyone has an opinion. Even your furry friend who has taken in the convention speeches and countless hours of news reports beside you on the couch. Think he or she wasn't paying attention to all of that TV time? Think again! Take this quiz to determine whether your pup shares your political opinions:

1) My dog is perfectly coiffed at all times.

A. True B. False

2) My dog barks at objects and people that aren't really there . . . like chairs.

A. True B. False

Obama Beats Romney As Best President For Dogs | Webvet

By WebVet.com

NFL mascots are a mix of ferocious felines (Panthers, Bengals, Jaguars), cartoonish muscle heads (Chargers, Steelers), with some horses (Colts, Broncos) and dogs thrown in (Browns, Saints). But there's one species that dominates the league's mascots -- and they have wings.

With five teams choosing to be represented by these feathered creatures, birds reign supreme in the NFL mascot realm. While we wouldn't necessarily put our money on a cardinal against, say, a ram in a one-on-one fight, on the costumed sidelines they're all fair game -- or fowl.

Meet the NFL's 5 feathery mascots:

Blitz: Seattle Seahawks

Photo credit

Name: Blitz
Born: September 13, 1998
Birthplace: Kingdome
Home: CenturyLink Field
Height: 6' 1" (a touchdown & extra point)
Weight: Featherweight
Hobbies: Reading, Fitness and Birdwatching

Source: Seattle Seahawks

Poe: Baltimore Ravens

Hobbies: Rapping on chamber doors and flying

By WebVet.com
Boy reading with dog Can reading to a dog raise children's reading levels? According to studies on the subject a young student's reading scores can advance significantly - two to four grade levels - by reading to a dog for just 20 minutes a week throughout the school year (40 weeks).

The American Library Association estimates that there are 27 million functionally illiterate adults in the United States. The national "America Reads'' program notes that 40 percent of fourth graders read below their grade level, and that children who don't master reading by the third grade risk falling further behind.

Children who read to dogs have less absenteeism, visit the library more often, and improve their grades on report cards. Also, children with low self-esteem are often more willing to interact with an animal than with another person. Pets can also teach children empathy and compassion.

Getting kids excited about reading

"We didn't invent the concept of a child reading to a pet, but we were the