Flea Control for a Healthy Dog

A dog can lick his fur, but it isn't enough to make him clean. Your dog may need extra help from you to keep his skin healthy. He cannot do it on his own so you, the pet owner, will have to ensure that not only is your dog kept clean and well-groomed, but that his environs are kept clean and sanitized, too.

Your dog's den must always be kept clean, free from dirt and trash, and regularly treated for infestations. In addition, his environs, and that include your house, your garage, your yard, should also be kept clean and tidy.

Start from your living room. Check out the room for any special contributors to your dog's skin irritation. Aha, there's the carpet! Your living carpet may look innocent but for all intents and purposes, it may be the number one culprit to your dog's irritations.

You can have your carpet treated for flea infestations; there are anti-flea mineral powders and salts available in your drugstore or veterinary supply store. Make sure these powders are non-toxic and non-irritating to your dog (check your vet for allergic reactions on your dog's part to special substances). These products make sure that fleas and lice are year-round kept away from your living room carpet, your dog's special nap place.

Check out your kitchen or your garage, too, especially if your dog tends to spend his idle time there a lot. Look under the furniture, in wall cracks, in wall crevices, any areas that are not that accessible to your vacuum cleaner and where dirt and grime are sure to accumulate. Your vacuum may not reach it but your dog probably can.

Your pest control expert can probably refer some natural diatomaceous powder to sprinkle on these areas. While these products are generally harmless to humans and their pets, they are very effective insecticides that will rid you of, yes you said it, fleas and lice. Use these insecticides controllably, though, as inhaling them may cause undue side effects or irritable reactions not only to you, but to your pet, too.

In addition, you can also use other products to ensure that every nook and cranny of your house is insect-free. Sprays or powders with natural pyrethrum are available in your drugstore or home supply depot. Your veterinarian or pest control expert can advice you on its regular use. These insecticides are usually inclusive in flea-control products. As you air out and treat your carpets, you can use these natural pyrethrum treatments at the same time. They not only kill fleas on contact but also prevent the development or reproduction of more fleas.

Outside your living areas, look to your yards and garages, too. These areas must be kept free not only of trash, but also other items that may be dangerous for your pet. Stray gardening tools and mechanical tools left lying around pose special hazards for your pets.

Controlling pests especially fleas is an important aspect of holistic healing for your pet dogs. Preventive as it is, it helps ensure a clean environment for your dog that will not be able to discern whether his surroundings are clean or seemingly clean, hiding insects and pests underneath.
Source: Ezine news

Pet Facts

Weird huh? Is it a real three headed dog? or is this a trick of the eyes? You tell me!

Each year, Americans spend more on dog food than baby food.
Mutt is short for the word "muttonhead," which was slang for dimwit. Somehow the word was applied to dogs in the 20th century, and then to dogs of mixed breeds.
The phrase "dog days of summer" was originally a reference to the constellations. It refers to the period between July and September, when the "dog star" Sirius rises early with the sun.

Giving a Dog as a Gift

Thinking of giving a dog as a gift? You might want to think again. Animal shelters say they see an increase in the number of animals given up after the holidays. The holidays are a very busy time and having a pet dog is a big responsibility.

Dogs live 10-15 years or more and adopting a dog is a long-term commitment that needs to taken very seriously. There is a reason why there are so many homeless dogs and it is usually because the owner and dog were mismatched and not because there is something wrong with the dog. Owners often do not realize how much effort is required to having a pet dog and are not meeting their dogs needs so behavior problems may arise. Millions of dogs are killed in Shelters every year. Bringing a dog into a home is a very big decision that should be carefully weighed out.

Lilyruth >If you like this post buy me a beer

Youn Chimp Beats College Students

Dec 3, 2007
NEW YORK - Never mind that TV show that asks if you're smarter than a fifth-grader. Is your memory better than a young chimp's? Maybe not. Japanese researchers pitted young chimps against human adults in two tests of short-term memory, and overall, the chimps won.

That challenges the belief of many people, including many scientists, that "humans are superior to chimpanzees in all cognitive functions," said researcher Tetsuro Matsuzawa of Kyoto University.

"No one can imagine that chimpanzees - young chimpanzees at the age of 5 - have a better performance in a memory task than humans," he said in a statement.

Matsuzawa, a pioneer in studying the mental abilities of chimps, said even he was surprised. He and colleague Sana Inoue report the results in Tuesday's issue of the journal Current Biology.

One memory test included three 5-year-old chimps who'd been taught the order of Arabic numerals 1 through 9, and a dozen human volunteers.

They saw nine numbers displayed on a computer screen. When they touched the first number, the other eight turned into white squares. The test was to touch all these squares in the order of the numbers that used to be there.

Results showed that the chimps, while no more accurate than the people, could do this faster.

One chimp, Ayumu, did the best. Researchers included him and nine college students in a second test.

This time, five numbers flashed on the screen only briefly before they were replaced by white squares. The challenge, again, was to touch these squares in the proper sequence.

When the numbers were displayed for about seven-tenths of a second, Ayumu and the college students were both able to do this correctly about 80 percent of the time.

But when the numbers were displayed for just four-tenths or two-tenths of a second, the chimp was the champ. The briefer of those times is too short to allow a look around the screen, and in those tests Ayumu still scored about 80 percent, while humans plunged to 40 percent.

That indicates Ayumu was better at taking in the whole pattern of numbers at a glance, the researchers wrote.

"It's amazing what this chimpanzee is able to do," said Elizabeth Lonsdorf, director of the Lester E. Fisher Center for the Study and Conservation of Apes at the Lincoln Park Zoo in Chicago. The center studies the mental abilities of apes, but Lonsdorf didn't participate in the new study.

She admired Ayumu's performance when the numbers flashed only briefly on the screen.

"I just watched the video of that and I can tell you right now, there's no way I can do it," she said. "It's unbelievable. I can't even get the first two (squares)."

What's going on here? Even with six months of training, three students failed to catch up to the three young chimps, Matsuzawa said in an e-mail.

He thinks two factors gave his chimps the edge. For one thing, he believes human ancestors gave up much of this skill over evolutionary time to make room in the brain for gaining language abilities.

The other factor is the youth of Ayumu and his peers. The memory for images that's needed for the tests resembles a skill found in children, but which dissipates with age. In fact, the young chimps performed better than older chimps in the new study. (Ayumu's mom did even worse than the college students).

So the next logical step, Lonsdorf said, is to fix up Ayumu with some real competition on these tests: little kids.
---On the Net:

Kyoto University: http://www.pri.kyoto

Surgery for underwear-loving dog

Taffy has since made a full recovery after the operation
A dog has had to undergo emergency surgery after swallowing his 40th pair of pants.
Taffy, the 18-month-old springer spaniel, has also eaten 300 socks, 15 pairs of shoes and a key fob to a car.
However, his owners Sharon and Eubie Saayman, of Tamworth, Staffordshire, noticed Taffy was in pain after eating something he should not have.
Mr Saayman, a vet, performed the two-hour operation to remove a pair of his three-year-old son's pants.
Mrs Saayman said Taffy and their son Liam were best friends, and Taffy would follow Liam around while he was potty-training.
'Passed through naturally'
She said: "Taffy would just find the pants that were left behind everywhere all the time.
"But apart from that, he's a lovely dog and eating these things is his only fault."
Whenever he picks things up we tell him off and hopefully he drops it before he swallows it
The couple said they did what they could to hide the items from Taffy, but he would still find them.
Mr Saayman said all the other items Taffy had found had "passed through naturally", but in the last case the pants had become tangled in the dog's guts.
Taffy has since made a full recovery.
Mr Saayman said: "We make jokes about it but it's actually very serious.
"If a dog gets an obstruction it can be life-threatening, so we try to keep things away from him.
"Whenever he picks things up we tell him off and hopefully he drops it before he swallows it." NEWS

Abseiler saves pet dog from gorge

Abseiler saves pet dog from gorge

Crown had fallen down the gorge while walking with his owner
An abseiler who went 50ft into a ravine to save an injured dog trapped in a rising river for more than 18 hours has been hailed a hero.
Craig Tinney, 28, from Acharn, near Kenmore, was one of 22 villagers involved in the search for the six-year-old Labrador Crown.

Crown plunged into the gorge during a walk with owner Tony May on Monday.

Despite efforts by villagers, the dog was not rescued until Mr Tinney descended into the ravine on Tuesday.

Carol May, owner of the family pet, paid tribute to Mr Tinney's bravery and said he had managed to reach Crown in the nick of time.

She said: "The vet confirmed that Crown could not possibly have spent another night in the water.

"What everybody did for us, particularly Craig, is just wonderful."

Cliff face

Mrs May first became aware of the dog's disappearance on Monday evening.

She said: "My husband Tony was out walking our two black labs at the Falls of Acharn, as he always does.

"It was about 6pm and pitch black when he noticed Crown was missing. Tony immediately sensed he had gone off the cliff face."

I don't know how he did it but my family will be eternally grateful

Carol May

Friends and neighbours of the family turned out to help look for the dog but after four hours of trying the search was called off for the night.

On Tuesday morning, Mr Tinney who is an experienced abseiler and gorge walker, decided to lower himself into the ravine to find Crown.

He spotted the injured dog in the water and lowered himself down.

Eventually, after calming the animal and checking his injuries, he was able to lift the dog out.

Mrs May said: "By some super-human effort Craig managed to climb back up the cliff while he was holding onto Crown.

"I don't know how he did it but my family will be eternally grateful."

Crown was immediately taken to a local vet, who confirmed he had dislocated a hip.

He is expected to make a full recovery.

Beagle Saved after swallowing Needle

Louie the beagle was spotted by his owner Sue Mitchell with the needle in his mouth but swallowed it before she could retrieve it.
He was rushed to a vet in Telford who cut him open and managed to remove it and he has now made a full recovery.
"It's just one of those things that you do not expect to happen," Sue, from Shifnal, Shrops, told BBC News. "You only have to turn away for a second."
'Caught red-handed'
Vet Barry Jacob, from Companion Care, said Louie could have easily died.
"We x-rayed Louie as soon as he was brought into the surgery and we could see that it appeared to be in the stomach," he said.
"It was too risky to leave it there so we undertook an emergency operation and it went very well.
"It was potentially very serious because if the needle had perforated the intestines it may have caused peritonitis (infection of the abdominal cavity).
"Fortunately, Louie was caught red-handed and brought straight down to us." Source: k9 news

Winterize Pets? Better bring 'em in

'Provide your outdoor dog with high-quality living arrangements, the next best thing to your own house. Doghouses should be only slightly larger than the dog. A snug fit will keep him cozy. Too much space and frigid winds will permeate his shelter. Insulate.... Give your indoor companion animals a warm bed away from drafts, a blanket and a pillow, or just snuggle a little bit closer... (Even our chow chow has a warm, quilted coat: he wears it gratefully when we go out for walks; he doesn't like the cold at all. If your dog has arthritis, keep it indoors and throw a soft cloth over it when it snuggles down for the night; the dog's own body heat will keep him more comfortable; our dog loves this... )Like this story ? Vote for my blog at http://bloginterviewer.com/animals/dogcents-ruth

Puppies found dead in dumped rubbish

Two puppies have died after being found among a litter of four dumped with rubbish fly-tipped in West Sussex.
The black cross breed dogs were found in a cardboard box containing wood shavings at Lee Farm Lane, Patching.
The puppies were described as being in a very poor condition and were taken to a veterinary surgeon in Worthing for medical attention.
Police said they were found on 29 October, and have urged anyone with any information to contact them. Source: news

Sea Dog's Adventure gets him in Trouble

A dog with a taste for adventure has been reunited with its owner after its exploits left it stranded on a cliff ledge for eight days.
Heidi, a doberman, ran away from her family home in Islandmagee more than a week ago after her owner, Joan Moore, let her go outside.

Her husband, Ian, said they immediately began looking for their missing pet and put flyers in local shops.

"I think the family was convinced we would not see her again," he said.

However, the family's and Heidi's luck took a turn for the better after a canoeist spotted the forlorn pooch stranded on a cliff ledge 60ft below the clifftop.

Ian Murdoch, from the Coastguard, said a member of their team had heard that the Moore's dog was missing.


"We got a report from a canoeist that a dog had been spotted trapped on the cliffs in the Portmuck area," he said.

Reunion

"So we sent down a cliff team to have a look and investigate, we sent Larne Lifeboat around as well.

"We did locate the dog, we contacted the owners to find out the temperament of the animal.

"They said it was a quiet animal so we sent a man down who lowered the dog into the lifeboat and into safe hands and its very grateful owners."

Mrs Moore said it was fantastic to get her back home again.

"It was great just to see her wee face, she was jumping up and bouncing all over. She was so excited to see us as well," she said.

"She is very thin compared to what she was, she has lost an awful lot of weight."

Heidi's next trip is to the vet for a check-up. Source:News

Kiefer Sutherland Action Hero Scared of Lap Dogs

The '24' star recoiled in terror when a fan recently approached him in a Beverly Hills restaurant carrying a tiny Yorkshire Terrier to ask him for an autograph.

A source told the National Enquirer magazine: "When Kiefer jumped the pooch went berserk, growling, yapping and snapping.

"The lady giggled and told him, 'He doesn't bite.'"

Kiefer replied: "I'm sure, but let's not take the chance. I'll give you the autograph, but why don't you and your doggie go back to your table."

The action hero then signed a napkin the woman had brought over and got a waiter to deliver it to her table.

Meanwhile, Kiefer has confessed he sabotaged the release of his own action figure after setting fire to the prototype on a drunken night out.

Source:National Enquire

Another increditable Story- SHEP

- Shep was a border collie who followed his beloved master everywhere. When the man died in 1936, Shep followed the man's coffin to the train station in Fort Benton, Montana. When they refused to allow him on the train, Shep hung around the station yard and waited for his master to return. For the next six years, Shep checked every train that arrived at the station for his master. Tragically, Shep was killed by a passing train in 1942. His story was memorialized in a book titled Forever Faithful-the Story of Shep. He even has his own memorial with a large bronze sculpture of himself in a little park over looking the river. Source: Book- Forever Faithful

My Dogs Kiss Better Then Britney, Or Cameron Diaz

I ran across this story in the K9 magazine and I thought it was cute so I decided to share it with you all I do hope you find it enjoyable, its about, US solo artist and former boyband member Justin Timberlake has revealed how much he is devoted to his two dogs, Buckley and Brennen.
Timberlake, in a UK magazine interview set the record straight on how much companionship he relies on from his pet Boxers as he shot down the suggestion of settling down with current girlfriend, Hollywood actress Cameron Diaz.
The heartthrob (25) explains he has no plans to settle down with Diaz or anyone else at this stage in his life as his two dogs are all he needs.
He tells GQ Magazine: "Men are monkeys, man. As for marriage and so on, I have my two dogs for kids so you should ask them how I'm doing! Never say never, but why ruin a good thing?"Timberlake also revealed in a seperate interview that his best ever kiss was by Boxer, Buckley. Close your ears Cameron and Britney!
Timberlake spoke about his passion for his pets at the New York launch of new album "Future Sex/Love Sounds."The singer explained: "When he (Buckley) kisses you it's like a shower over your face."
Source: k9 magazine

Dog Jokes

Q: What do you get if you cross a dog and a cheetah?A: A dog that chases cars - and catches them!Q: What happens when it rains cats and dogs?A: You can step in a poodle!Q: What sort of clothes does a pet dog wear?A: A petticoat!Q: What do you get if you cross a dog and a lion?A: A terrified postman!Q: What happened to the dog that ate nothing but garlic?A: His bark was much worse than it's bite!