Pet Health

Dog's name and age: Gizmo, 7 years Nicknames? Gizzy, Little Mo Adoption Story: Gizmo was brought north from a shelter in Kentucky as a puppy. He was seized in a hoarding case where he was sadly the only survivor from his litter. He was given the name Gizmo from the shelter and his family thought it was a perfect fit. More Gizmo: Tags:  smiling dogs from The Bark http://bit.ly/2MlBRFz

Are you harming your dog by feeding them the wrong food?   We all love our dogs and many consider them our best friends. Many of us even treat them better than our own family members.   There are 3 dangerous ingredients that no dog should ever eat , and if you are giving them to your dog then you might be slowly harming it.   Click here to find out these harmful ingredients.   P.S. These 3 dangerous ingredients are in many common pet foods so click here to find out right now.   Tags:  Paid Advertising from The Bark http://bit.ly/2VVObfi

Swedish twin study finds a connection There have been many studies demonstrating the health and psychological benefits of having dogs, but it’s difficult to disentangle possible genetic factors that could be influencing the results. It is possible that people’s genetics affect their likelihood of having dogs and that those same genes are influencing their decision to welcome dogs into their lives. Twin studies are an important tool for determining the role that genetics plays in all sorts of aspects of human life, and separating the role of our genes from the role of our environment on who we are as people. The key to this technique is that there are two types of twins and these two types share different amounts of genes in common. Monozygotic (identical) twins share 100 percent of their DNA with each other but dizygotic (fraternal) twins share an average of 50 percent of their genes with each other. If they are raised together, both types of twins grow up in essentially ...

The law allows it, but few are comfortable with it A Virginia woman requested that her dog be euthanized, cremated and buried with her when she died . At the time of her death, her dog—a Shih-Tzu named Emma—was perfectly healthy and well, creating a clash between moral and legal issues. When a representative of the woman’s estate came to the shelter where Emma was being held, the staff there tried to persuade him not to euthanize her. They tried to encourage him to sign over any rights to her and allow her to be adopted by someone else. However, he refused and chose to follow the instructions in the deceased woman’s will. Emma was taken to a local veterinarian and euthanized. Tags:  lifestyle life with dogs law & politics blog from The Bark http://bit.ly/30MAXoB

It’s beginning to feel a lot like summer! With the temperatures rising, I find myself in the mood for frozen yogurt, ice cream, and other refreshing treats. So, the other day as I was reaching for a smoothie, I thought to myself, “Maybe my dogs would like a little lick!” Sure … our dogs should usually stick to regular ol’ H2O, and they should always have a fresh bowl within tongues-reach. But, every now and then, it’s fun to spice things up with a little flavor. Enter: This fun Green Smoothie For Dogs! Made with just a few dog-approved ingredients, you can create this liquid treat in about a minute. Plus, you may even want to take a little sip yourself! A Look At What’s Inside: The Health Benefits Pineapple – In moderation, fresh pineapple (not canned) is a great snack for dogs. Not only is it delicious, but it’s also loaded with Vitamin C and a bunch of other immune-boosting vitamins and minerals. Plus, this popular fruit has a somewhat random benefit. Experts say if you have a...

Dog's name and age: Rosie, 2 years Nicknames:  Rosie Posie Miniature schnauzer Rosie loves being active whether that's walking, swimming, retrieving or working through agility trials. Her other love is sleeping between these activities! She loves to be with her people is by their side most of the day. Rosie helps her people appreciate the small things in life and her good humor lifts them up when they need need it most. Tags:  smiling dogs from The Bark http://bit.ly/2YIqicN

They take their rightful place in the school’s memories School yearbooks help us remember the events and activities of the year as well as all of the members of the community—teachers, staff, fellow students and others. The “others” in this year’s edition of the Marjory Stoneman Douglas High School yearbook include 14 therapy dogs. These trained dogs first showed up the day the students returned to school following a mass shooting in February 2018, and have brought comfort and happiness to this school rocked by tragedy. The yearbook staff got the idea to devote a page of their yearbook to these therapy dogs when a dog belonging to the school’s media specialist was photographed on picture day. On the day of make-up pictures, the therapy dogs were each photographed so that their portraits could be included in the annual publication. Tags:  work of dogs blog from The Bark http://bit.ly/2X8hU6h

You don’t even want a dog. You come from a long line of cat people, and you intend to stay that way. Then out of the woods scrambles shy, scrappy Clover. You shoo him off, but he runs circles around you. For months, you deny he’s been dumped and you search for the home he abandoned. For weeks, you encourage others to take him. Meanwhile, you’ve given him a bath and a name, ordered a case of chicken, and watched him settle onto the mat outside your door every night. After countless walks, his joy becomes your joy. His presence at your side in the garden, his insistence that you stop and give him a belly rub, his fierce loyalty, become the fabric of your life, and there’s no way you’re going back. (How did you live without a dog before?) When at last you admit he’s yours, your inner German housewife insists, There’s no way he’s coming inside . But he squeezes in, and he exudes such coziness and security that the extra sweeping of dirt and fur seems a worthy price. Tags:...

Hike nicely with your dog on public lands I’ve had the pleasure of hiking and backpacking with Australian Shepherds in Colorado’s wilderness areas for almost 30 years. During that time, my dogs and I have encountered moose, deer, elk, porcupine, pica, bobcat, coyote and a host of other critters. While those encounters have been interesting, it is by far more challenging to share the woods with Homo sapiens , a curious and unpredictable species. The U.S. Forest Service considers the public lands they manage to be “Lands of Many Uses.” That is especially true in the area of recreation. On any given summer weekend, hikers and their dogs may encounter a pack of mountain bikers careening down steep switchbacks and around blind corners. Equestrians plod along trails with steep drop-offs on either side, their mounts often ready to bolt or jump at unexpected noises or sudden appearances by our canine pals. Trail runners are “in the zone” and often don’t realize someone is sharing...

Pat Miller By Victoria Schade You might think that the life of a dog trainer is all fun and games and puppy kisses. Not so. Every dog-training and behavior professional knows that the biggest challenges often come from the human clients, not the canines. This lighthearted, engaging first novel from dog trainer/ author Victoria Schade invites you into the world of Cora Bellamy, owner of a successful force-free dog training business in our nation’s busy capital. Bellamy navigates the streets of Washington, D.C., far more easily than she juggles the ethical dilemmas she encounters while striving to educate her upscale clients on the benefits of science-based positive-reinforcement training. Her mission is complicated by the popularity of television personality Boris Ershovich, the “Doggie Dictator,” whose heavy-handed techniques encourage dog owners to coerce and punish their dogs into submission. Then a client emails her about auditions for a new dog-training show tha...

What it is, and what you can do to reduce your dog’s exposure. In the very large universe of microorganisms, viruses are particularly crafty. For example, during the two-to four-day incubation period before dogs show any signs of illness, the Type A influenza virus that causes dog flu, or CI, can spread through such commonplace activities as being patted on the head, sharing a tennis ball or a water bowl, or a nose-to-nose greeting. And unlike those that cause human flu, the CI virus is active year-round. As is the case with all microbes, the CI virus can only be seen with an electron microscope. Zoom in, and the hemagglutinin (HA) and neuraminidase (NA) proteins that spike up from its round surface are immediately visible. Influenza viruses are named for the way HA and NA combine, and CI comes in two forms, or strains: H3N8 and H3N2. Only 80 percent of affected dogs show flu-like signs, and the fatality rate is less than 10 percent. Tags:  health care healthy...

It’s a dog lover’s worst nightmare: Experiencing an itchy nose, letting out a big aaccchhhoooo, and feeling the need to constantly rub your eyes every time you’re around a precious pooch. If you’re allergic to dogs, know you’re not alone. In fact, according to the Asthma And Allergy Foundation Of America (AAFA), “In the United States, as many as three in 10 people with allergies have allergic reactions to cats and dogs. Cat allergies are about twice as common as dog allergies.” Before we get to the list of popular hypoallergenic dog breeds, read on for a little about allergies.  About Allergies Allergic reactions to dogs occur when a person’s immune system has a reaction to an allergen. In this case, it would be the dog’s fur, dander, saliva, or urine. Allergies are specific to an individual and, just because one person is allergic to a specific dog breed, doesn’t mean another person will be. That’s why some hypoallergenic breeds will be good for one person, but maybe not anoth...

Rehab exercises are a vitally important part of treatment for dogs with spine conditions like IVDD (Intervertebral Disc Disease) and neurological problems like Degenerative Myelopathy. They improve the recovery process for dogs after surgery and for those with injuries. Knowing the proper rehabilitation exercises to use keeps your dog’s body strong while they heal. And it keeps their mind engaged in life. It can be the difference between a dog who regains some or all of their mobility to a pup who can’t move because they’ve lost too much muscle mass.   If there isn’t a canine physical therapy clinic in your area, here are 6 easy exercises you can do at home with your dog. The video introduces you to the basic canine rehab techniques. Dog rehabilitation exercises you can do at home   Caveat: Be sure to get your veterinarian’s approval before starting any rehabilitation or exercise program with your dog. Simple dog rehab exercises include: Passive range-of-motion St...

He took off for his home away from home Happy Tails Pet Hotel and Playland in Missouri recently received the best testimonial ever from a satisfied customer when a dog named Hugo showed up for an unplanned visit. He boards regularly at the facility and apparently loves it so much he decided to run away from home in order to pop in and say hello to his friends there . Hugo’s journey to Happy Tails is not along a safe route, but luckily he survived. It is only a mile away from home, but involves crossing a busy road. Upon reaching his destination, Hugo ran across the parking lot and followed an employee through the front door. The staff were quite pleased to see him and relieved that he was not hurt. A statement from Happy Tails urged Hugo to have his dad drive him next time. Tags:  life with dogs blog from The Bark http://bit.ly/30zDu5J

DNA tests show that over two-thirds of the breed labels on dogs in shelters or on pet rescue websites are wrong. Julie Levy, a professor of shelter medicine at the University of Florida College of Veterinary Medicine, who ran  those tests , offers some very good reasons to look beyond breed labels when adopting a dog: 1. BREED LABELS ARE PROBABLY WRONG Levy and her colleagues asked almost 6,000 experts—vets, shelter staff, breeders, trainers, and more—to name shelter dogs’ breeds, and they didn’t exactly agree. Their guesses added up to an average of 53 different breeds for each dog! Only 15 percent of the dogs’ breeds were correctly identified more than 70 percent of the time, so take that label with a grain of salt. Tags:  research from The Bark http://bit.ly/2VD43TV

What and how much we feed our canine companions affects their health "It’s estimated that more than half of all dogs in the United States and the United Kingdom are overweight. (Reference 1) Veterinarians talk about the canine obesity crisis in the same dire terms that public health experts talk about the human obesity crisis. Many consider obesity to be one of the top welfare concerns for pets."  Tags:  blog health care healthy living from The Bark http://bit.ly/30zROuH

Vive le Chien! France is a country of ironies, many delightful, some vexing. One has always baffled me: rules on where Dogs Rule. I have photos of my dogs over the years in central Paris: chomping on a bone in the Boucherie Moderne, one of the city’s best butcher shops; seated at a table (on his own chair) at Le Taillevent, a Michelin-starred guardian of haute cuisine; standing comfortably squashed between human legs on a rush-hour Metro train; perched contentedly on the footrest of my Vespa as we glide along the Boulevard Saint-Germain. But I’ve not one where (I think) they would really like to be: roll-scratching their backs on a lush patch of grass, lounging on a picnic blanket or digging up a flower bed … because for decades, our best ami has been banned from most of the city’s green spaces. Tags:  lifestyle travel news from The Bark http://bit.ly/2JsXeTh

Claudia Kawczynska By Nick Trout (William Morrow) Nick Trout is not only a veterinary surgeon with Boston’s Angell Animal Medical Center, he’s also a highly regarded author. His new novel, The Wonder of Lost Causes , is the latest on a list that includes two fiction and three nonfiction books, including Tell Me Where It Hurts . This new work is also his most personal, tapping as it does into a context with which he is intimately familiar: living with and caring for a child with a debilitating, life-threatening disease. His main character, a boy named Jasper, suffers from cystic fibrosis, a condition that also afflicts Trout’s daughter Emily. The disorder is one of the book’s throughlines; be prepared to learn how challenging and complicated it is to provide care for a CF child. Also, be prepared to be transported to a world where the love of and attachment to a dog can not only be lifeaffirming but also lifesaving. The story is told in two alternating first-person voices...

He’s cool. He’s cute. He’s confident. He’s Jester. The fun-loving shepherd mix has taken up temporary residence at his local animal shelter, where he makes sure there’s never a dull moment in the play yard, and is ready to charm his way into his forever home. With his movie-dog smile and nineties-boyband-vibes-oozing personality, Jester owns the yard. When he leaves his kennel to walk to the patch of green that is his stage, he is greeted with howls and cheers that set the mood for the afternoon’s entertainment. Once in the play pen, Jester likes to show off his stunning coat in all its glory, jump around with youngster-like energy and splash water all over himself to cool off while enjoying the attention of smitten four-leggers barking him on from the other side of the fence. Tags:  smiling dogs from The Bark http://bit.ly/2w0eEOj

Donation program saves lives A pacemaker for a dog can cost upwards of $3000, and that means that not every guardian can afford to provide one no matter how desperately the dog needs one to survive. Nurse Terri Mattula and her husband once had a dog named Gator who passed out during a walk because of issues with his heart. When they took him to the vet, they learned that he needed a pacemaker, but as two broke students, they couldn’t afford one. Fast forward 20 years and Mattula’s husband needed a new pacemaker because of a change in his condition. With Gator in mind, Mattula saved her husband’s old pacemaker and offered to donate it the local veterinary school at the University of Georgia. She told them over the phone that she had a relatively new device and wanted to know if they could use it. That phone call led to a collaboration between the university vet school and the local hospital. Tags:  health care blog from The Bark http://bit.ly/2Q5q1h9

Healthy slurping In veterinarian Judy Morgan’s new book, Yin & Yang Nutrition for Dogs , she makes a compelling case for looking beyond the claims of the commercial pet food indus- try when it comes to providing optimum nutrition for our dogs.  A practitioner of Traditional Chinese Medicine, which relies  on the healing powers of whole foods, Dr. Morgan provides a thorough primer on how to apply its principles for the benefit of our co-pilots’ constitutions. Bone broth is all the rage these days. As Dr. Morgan writes, “It is  a strong rejuvenating potion high in minerals, amino acids, glucosamine and many more valuable nutrients. It can be served alone or mixed with meals.” She also notes that it can be used to cook grains and vegetables, or rehydrate freeze- dried food.  Tags:  recipes wellness food & nutrition from The Bark http://bit.ly/2w2QYsr

A dirty little secret is now out in the open Talula died on New Year’s Day, 2017, a casualty of pentobarbital-adulterated pet food. Pentobarbital is the active ingredient in the sedative Nembutal. People who rely on this habit-forming drug over a long period of time develop a tolerance to it, requiring ever-higher doses to achieve the desired sedative effect. Veterinarians use pentobarbital both as a sedative and as a humane euthanasia agent. In the 1990s, several veterinarians contacted the U.S. Food and Drug Administration (FDA) to express concern that some of their companion-animal patients had become less responsive to the drug. They worried that the animals might have developed tolerance to the effects of pentobarbital as a result of chronic exposure to low levels of the drug in pet foods. Tags:  wellness food & nutrition recall from The Bark http://bit.ly/2W6GtD5

All puppies nip or bite at your hands, fingers, toes, feet, and ankles. But there’s one big reason that you should not allow this behavior anymore. Here’s how (and why) to stop a puppy from nipping and biting…     Read more: How To Stop Puppy Nipping & Biting: Why Do Puppies Bite? When Do Puppies Stop Biting? What To Do When Your Puppy Keeps Biting & Nipping All The Time from Dog Guide http://bit.ly/2HsblVr

According to Dr. Gary Richter, one of the top veterinarians in the world, many dogs are at risk of serious health issues… but their owners may be missing the warning signs. "It’s an epidemic. Over half of all dogs over 10 years old will get cancer," says Dr. Richter. “Even young dogs are at risk. And it’s pretty much all due to one thing: Food.” According to Dr. Richter — who was recently voted “America’s Favorite Veterinarian” and has over 20 years of experience with dogs of every shape and size — certain dog foods contain a dangerous chemical that wreaks havoc on our dogs’ bodies. This, in turn, leads to digestive discomfort, joint problems, smelly breath and poop, weight gain, itching, allergies, and even early death. Tags:  Paid Advertising from The Bark http://bit.ly/2Q4h4Va

Study finds match with valid scientific markers “Dominance is well defined in ethology, debated in psychology, and is often unclear among the dog owning public and in the press.” So begins the research paper titled “ Dominance in dogs as rated by owners corresponds to ethologically valid markers of dominance ” that appeared in the open access journal PeerJ—the Journal of Life and Environmental Sciences . The subject of dominance relationships in our canine companions has become a trigger for many people, and that has stymied research on the topic. It’s little wonder that discussions about it remain so confusing and frankly, rancorous. Studies that investigate the dominance relationships between dogs are few and far between, but this new one was just published last week. Tags:  behavior blog research from The Bark http://bit.ly/2Q4atdv

With the passing of Doris Day, the world has lost not only a legendary actress and singer but also a pioneering animal activist. Day, 97, who died on May 13 at her Carmel Valley, Calif., home, was a lifelong dog-lover whose dedication to the cause of abandoned pets led to important changes in the fight for animal rights. Tags:  blog news from The Bark http://bit.ly/2VB3ajp

I’m back with another jiggly, jello-y dog treat recipe. It’s made with four simple ingredients (one being water) , takes about five minutes to prepare, and is bound to make your dog’s tail jiggle even more than the finished product! A few weeks ago, I shared a recipe for DIY Chicken Jello . Within a matter of days, I started getting pics of dogs from around the world munching away on the wiggly, savory snacks. I can’t even tell you how happy that makes me!  Since some dog parents have reached out to me, asking how they could replace the chicken (either their dogs are sensitive to chicken or their main meal is chicken-base and they are looking for variety) , I decided to create something similar. This time with salmon!  The Ingredients I know what you may be thinking: “Salmon + blueberries … what a strange combination!”  Here’s the deal: These treats take on the pretty blue appearance of the blueberry and smell more like the salmon. Dogs? Well, most of them love tha...

A holiday for every Mom Inclusivity is important. It’s a lesson that many parents put at the top of the list when it comes to teaching their children to be good, kind citizens of the planet. Mother’s Day is a perfect opportunity to put this lesson into practice by celebrating all forms of motherhood. As dogs are increasingly viewed as members of the family and many people refer to them as “fur kids” or as “my babies”, it makes sense for there to be room in this holiday for the mothering of dogs to be celebrated. I believe this is true whether or any particular dog mom also has human children. Women become mothers by giving birth, by adopting children, by marrying someone who already has kids and by stepping in to a variety of situations in which there is mothering to be done. There are mothers who have lost children, and there are women who desperately want to become mothers but have not been able to realize that dream. Tags:  lifestyle life with dogs blog ...

Dog's name and age: Sarah, 5 years Nicknames: Sarah Bella Boo, Bella Boo Boo, Boozer, Snorebear Adoption Story: About six months after our beloved Border Collie passed away, we were ready for more puppy love. We looked online at the humane society website and chose to meet Sarah (formerly Snowflake). I met her and instantly fell in love! She walked right up to me and plopped down in my lap. Before being rescued, she had been abandoned on a country road outside of our town; she was emaciated, had heartworm, mites, tapeworm and had recently had puppies. We adopted her during her recovery from her spaying and heartworm treatment. More Sarah: Sarah loves her walks where she does what we call "checking her email," catching up with what the other dogs in the neighborhood have been up to. Tags:  smiling dogs from The Bark http://bit.ly/2ViQ19S

Just for laughs—Bailey the Yellow Lab at Stanford It was inevitable that the satirical newspaper The Onion would address the college admissions scandal and give us all a laugh. When they did, they hit it out of the park with the story titled “ Stanford Students Admit It was Pretty Obvious Billionaire’s Dog Didn’t Get In By Itself ”. The absurdity of the undeserving being accepted into top quality schools is highlighted by The Onion ’s take on the situation—a dog with a wealthy guardian attending Stanford. Tags:  humor blog from The Bark http://bit.ly/2vHkZOu

When petting a dog, there’s a fine line between being affectionate and being annoying. You can always tell a dog lover.At the sight of any four-legged, we light up, excited to meet and pet and please the pup. Ah, yeah, that’s the spot, right? You like that! But so often, we’re wrong. We touch a little greedily, eager for the validation of that unconditional return of affection. We’ve convinced ourselves that all dogs want to be petted. They love to be petted. They’ll like it. It’s good for them, too. “When we meet humans, do we go up and molest them? No, we don’t.We have respect for their boundaries,” notes animal behaviorist William Berloni, who made history by training shelter dogs for Broadway and Hollywood. “With dogs, we want that tactile relaxation, so it doesn’t matter what you want, little dog.” Ouch. Tags:  behavior from The Bark http://bit.ly/2vHkWCi