By WebVet.com
Photo by Monslave
There were firemen on hand, but it was a German Shepherd mix named Amanda who was saving lives on the scene of a horrific fire in Chile last week.
Amanda saved the lives of her 10-day old puppies after a car bomb went off, setting her nearby house on fire. Firefighters noticed the brave mom using her mouth to carry the puppies one by one from the burning house and place them on the side of their truck. Once all five puppies were in place, Amanda curled up around them.
After they were done on the scene, the firefighters rushed Amanda and the puppies to a local vet.
All but one of the puppies survived, and the remaining four -- along with Amanda -- have been put up for adoption.
5 More Amazing Hero Dogs
1. Eve: In 1992, Kathi Vaughn, a paralyzed paraplegic, was driving along an interstate when her truck caught on fire. She pushed her rotweiller, Eve, out of the vehicle so she would be safe. However, the dog came back. Pulling her owner by the ankles,
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Viral Photo: Man Floats Dog to Ease Arthritis Pain
By Webvet | Animal Nation – Fri, Aug 10, 2012 5:09 PM EDTBy WebVet.com
Schoep
Photo by Stonehouse Photography
A touching picture of a man floating in the water with his sleeping dog has gone viral. And the story behind the snapshot has melted hearts.
John Unger credits his 19-year-old dog Schoep with his saving his life -- and now he is doing everything in his power to make Schoep's twilight years as comfortable as possible. Schoep suffers from arthritis and hip dysplasia, which causes pain John eases through their lake sessions.Understanding Dog Arthritis and Pain Management | Webvet
Hannah Stonehouse Hudson, who snapped the now-viral photo of the two, told the Huffington Post of their watery routine, "Shep falls asleep every night when he is carried into the lake. The buoyancy of the water soothes his arthritic bones. Lake Superior is very warm right now, so the temp of the water is perfect. I was so happy I got to capture this moment for John. By the way, John rescued Shep as an 8 month old puppy, and he's been by his side Read More »from Viral Photo: Man Floats Dog to Ease Arthritis PainBy Sally Schloss for WebVet.com
Meowing kittenSome cats are talkers. Blackstone, for instance, is a big complainer. Whenever he's frustrated or annoyed, I have to listen to his loud lament. He also tells me when he's pleased or scared, and sometimes he lets me know that he just wants my company and a good chat.
"Have you come to visit me Blackstone?" I ask. He says, "Meow," as he rubs his head against my face. "Would you like a good scratch behind the ears?" "Meow." He half closes his eyes, completely blissed-out, and I am rewarded by the loudest, most contented "purrrr." Of course, when I stop petting him, he complains. "Meow, meow, meow!" and butts my hand with his head, or gently digs a claw into my arm. "Me-OW!"
Cat-speak
Owners who talk to their cats a lot tend to have chattier kittiens. Communication begins in kittenhood when newborns learn to interpret their mother's sounds and respond by mewing or purring, expressing distress or contentment. A cat's vocabulary increases as it
Read More »from Understanding the Language of CatsBy WebVet.com
Read More »from Are Parrots Smarter Than Dogs?
African Grey ParrotDogs can join the police force and monkeys are our fellow primates, but new research found that parrots might be the smartest animal of them all. A new study found that African Grey Parrots performed as well as three-year-old children on a mental test.
The test involved hiding pieces of walnut inside one of two containers. "One or both was then shaken and the birds, which are used to the idea of the containers holding treats, used their beak to upend the one with the hidden walnut 70 to 80 percent of the time," according to the Daily Mail.
The high success rate means that the birds were able to link the rattling sound to food -- and even more impressively, understand that when an empty container was shaken, it meant food was in the alternate box.
WebVet: Everything you need to know about summer safety hazards!
"Such behaviour has so far been shown only in great apes but not in any other non-human animal," concluded researcher Dr. Christian Schloegl.
African Grey Parrot:Dog's Weight Loss Inspires Owner to Drop 200 Pounds
By Webvet | Animal Nation – Tue, Aug 7, 2012 7:25 AM EDTBy WebVet.com
Read More »from Dog's Weight Loss Inspires Owner to Drop 200 Pounds
Everyone is inspired to lose weight in different ways. For some an unflattering picture will spark a diet and exercise routine, others are motivated by an upcoming event -- and for Lindsey Evans, it was her dog Millie.
Millie had nearly starved to death when Lindsey rescued her, but the Rhodesian Ridgeback quickly put on weight thanks to her new mom's TLC -- and the junk food Lindsey shared with her. Soon Lindsey had ballooned to 350 pounds, while Millie tipped the scales at 126 -- nearly twice the weight considered "healthy" for her size.
WebVet: 4 Pet Issues You Need To Know
Vets were shocked at Millie's girth when Lindsey brought her in for a leg operation and quickly put her on a crash diet. As Lindsey watched her pup shrink to healthy 70 pounds, the 39-year-old knew it was time to follow.
"I thought if my dog Millie can do it so can I," Lindsey told the Daily Mail. Earlier this year, she started a diet program and cut junk food from her life.
"I am10 Things to Know About Viral Cat Sensation Lil Bub
By Webvet | Animal Nation – Mon, Aug 6, 2012 9:15 AM EDTBy WebVet.com
Read More »from 10 Things to Know About Viral Cat Sensation Lil Bub
Bub
Photo via Facebook
Everything you need to know about the latest viral cat sensation!
1) Bub is a "perma-kitten", which means she will stay kitten-sized and maintain kitten-like features throughout her life.
2) She is a dwarf, and her limbs are disproportionately small relative to the rest of her body.
3) Lil Bub is about 1 year old, but she might later experience medical complications related to dwarfism. IDSNews.com reported that she might only live to the age of 3.
4) She weighs in at 4.5 pounds.
5) Lil Bub's mouth is one of her most recognizable features. Her lower jaw is much shorter than her upper jaw, and she is toothless -- which is why her tongue is usually hanging out.
6) As a polydactyl cat (one with extra toes), Lil Bub boasts 22 claws.
7) Bub makes weird noises, described on her Facebook page as "squonks, squeaks, gurgles, snorts, hiccups, purrs and sometimes even growls." Check them out here!
8) Her owner Mike Bridavsky chalks her popularity up toBy WebVet.com
Read More »from Cool or Crazy? Cat Tunnel Sofa
Do you love your cat enough to choose a sofa that has his best interests at heart? Given that your frisky feline has likely left its mark on your existing seats through scratches and shedding, maybe a cat-centric couch actually makes sense. If so, it's time to get your paws on the Cat Tunnel Sofa.
Inspired by the pet-human relationship that already dictates so many aspects of our lives, Korean designer Seungji Mun created the seating apparatus -- which takes things one step further.
Feline scratching | Webvet
The Cat Tunnel Sofa's structure is based around a large bending tube for your cat or cats to play. There are cushions for seating as well, but it's the tube and it's multiple outlets that steal the show.
"Cat tunnel sofa is designed for a cat and the owner of the cat," Mun wrote on his website. "After analyzing and observing cats' habits and behaviors through experts' opinion and sufficient research, we designed the structure and shape of the sofa to be fully inBy WebVet.com
Read More »from Dog Detects Cancer, Saves Owner's Life
Cavalier King Charles The wonders of the animal-human bond never cease amaze us. We hear time and again how pets improve our moods, motivate us to exercise -- and sometimes literally save our lives. Stories like this will never get old:
A 43-year-old U.K. woman discovered she had breast cancer thanks to her Cavalier King Charles spaniel named Penny. Sharon Rawlinson finally made a doctor's appointment after Penny spent weeks attending to the area where a tumor was growing.
"Penny was pawing me for weeks," Rawlinson told The Sun. "She would gently paw me as if she was trying to get something out of my left breast, but I ignored it. When she stood on me in the middle of the night and wouldn't get off, the pain was like a thousand bee stings, and the next day I felt bruised."
WebVet: Can Pets Detect Cancer?
She thought the resulting lump was the work of Penny -- but decided to get it looked at anyway. The doctors discovered it was cancerous and Sharon began chemotherapy --By WebVet.com
Pug on pianoRecent studies show that music (and other sounds) can profoundly influence animal behavior. Music therapy for pets is one way to help a dog with behavioral or anxiety problems. Does your poodle whine and pace when the alarm clock goes off? Does your German shepherd bark uncontrollably when your neighbors mows their lawn? Is your boxer afraid of guests? You might want to head straight for your CD player.
Though a dog doesn't tap his foot as a person might, their internal organs do speed up or slow down in accordance with external rhythms (a process called entrainment) and respond to the vibrations around them.
In today's noisy world, full of sirens, motorcycles, and leaf blowers, in households with multiple TVs, computer printers and food processors, dogs might just be overloaded with sensory input.
"Music is one way to control and mediate the sound environment," said sound researcher Joshua Leeds, who recently co-authored a new book and CD set called Through A
Read More »from What's Your Dog's Favorite Type of Music?By WebVet.com
Lab in grassNo one knows why some dogs eat grass, although it has been suggested that this harkens back to days when wolves hunted in packs and fed on the stomach contents of grass-eaters like deer and elk. Some dogs probably like the taste or texture of grass, and others tend to eat grass when they are nauseous and want to vomit. However, it is a myth that dogs "need" grass in order to vomit (they can vomit okay on their own).
Grass eating is not usually dangerous per se, but such vegetation is indigestible and can cause digestive upset in some dogs. In fact, many dogs vomit or get diarrhea after eating grass. In rare instances, dogs that have eaten large amounts of grass or other vegetable matter can even develop an obstruction in the digestive tract, which is a serious condition.
Read More »from Why Does My Dog Eat Grass?
It is a good idea to discourage grass eating if your dog tends to vomit or get diarrhea from it. Pets should also be prevented from grazing on lawns that have been recently treated with
