Pet Health

An indelible role in the 1972 movie of hardship and the human-canine bond The magnificent actress Cicely Tyson shall be remembered for many outstanding roles— The Diary of Miss Jane Pittman , her performance in  Roots , as well as dramatic turns on Broadway, in particular for her Tony-winning master class in  The Trip to Bountiful . One of our favorites remains her portrayal of Rebecca, the tower-of-strength mother in the film  Sounder . The movie is based on the Newberry-award winning novel for young readers by William H. Armstrong. Both the book and the movie present an honest portrait of the rural south—the story follows the oldest son of a loving and strong family of black sharecroppers coming of age in the Depression-era South after his father is imprisoned for stealing food. Sounder is the family’s beloved dog, who helps them hunt, thus enabling them to keep food on the table. Tags:  art movies from The Bark https://ift.tt/2NN38BT

Seeing the photos and news coverage over the past few weeks of the legions of National Guard troops protecting the nation’s Capitol and our elected officials is a reminder of the good people who stand ready to serve and protect during national disasters, threats and calamities. Tags:  therapy dogs work of dogs dogs help us from The Bark https://ift.tt/39ub4R2

When it comes to veterinary care, barriers to access, including a lack of trust play a big role. When it comes to veterinary care, barriers to access, including a lack of trust on the part of dog owners,  play a bigger role than differences in race, gender, or socioeconomic status, according to a new study. Findings could help veterinarians develop outreach strategies for underserved communities. “I was interested in how different demographic groups viewed health care and how those views might affect relationships between veterinarians and their clients,” says study first author Rachel Park, a PhD student at North Carolina State University. “The existing literature wasn’t national in scope and hadn’t accounted for multiple identities held, such as one’s socioeconomic status or education, so I saw a knowledge gap that could be filled.” Tags:  research from The Bark https://ift.tt/36nkewH

We must be careful about making sweeping generalizations. Dogs and studies of these amazing canids seem to be "in." Clearly we're learning a good deal about the cognitive, emotional, and moral lives of homed and free-ranging dogs from a wide variety of sources, some more credible than others. Along with all sorts of media I encounter, I also receive queries about what all of these studies actually mean. The question in the title—"What Do All These Dog Studies Really Mean?"—came via email from a graduate student in canine studies. Felicity went on ask if I could make sense of a series of research essays published in the past 5-10 years, especially those that were concerned with studying "similar phenomena" but reporting different results. Tags:  news research from The Bark https://ift.tt/36pbmXl

Meet Alvin the Beagle, a dog who helped turn the Senate Blue Successful political campaigns require an almost magical mix of attention to demographics, complex social factors and mind-bending marketing tactics. Rarely do they succeed or fail on the shoulders of a dog. But when future generations study the recent Georgia race for the U.S. Senate—in which the state flipped from red to blue (or at least, purple)—they may want to consider the impact of a Beagle named Alvin in changing the Democratic Party’s fortunes in this long-time Republican stronghold. Tags:  news law & politics from The Bark https://ift.tt/3ceXcfj

Learn about the causes, symptoms, and treatment for kennel cough. Kennel cough is one of the most common diseases that dog owners should look out for and, in some cases, it can cause serious health issues for canines. Kennel cough is officially known as Canine Infectious Respiratory Disease Complex (CIRDC) and it affects the respiratory system of dogs. The name “kennel cough” became widely used because of the belief that the disease spreads most easily in kennels, where large numbers of dogs are kept together. However, don’t let this fool you–dogs can contract kennel cough from anywhere that they come into contact with other dogs, whether they are out on a walk or playing in the yard. Tags:  health care wellness New Dog from The Bark https://ift.tt/39nUSRa

Felines have a reputation for being about as trainable as a herd of eels, but did you know cats actually respond very well to clicker training. As cats respond better to positive reinforcement than negative reaction and punishment, offering them food, a favorite toy, or special love pats can motivate them to do just as you request! Throw out the old notion of cats being untrainable and learn how to clicker train your cat to do anything from staying off the counter to giving you a high five! You may have heard the term before, but just what is clicker training for cats? And why should you think about such training for your cat? Animal Wellness Magazine defines clicker training as “a positive reinforcement method based on behavioral psychology.” Which means instead of yelling at kitty or busting out the much-disputed spray bottle, you’re going to teach your cat to stop doing something you consider a bad behavior with a simple sound and some sort of reward. Sound impossible? @luna....

Cat toys can be as alluring to cat lovers as they are to felines themselves. How many times have you been drawn in by sparkles and crinkles and squeakers, thinking your cat would love a certain toy? Yep, it happens more than we care to admit and the proof is left tossed on the floor waiting for the kitty dears to get silly. Then, there are always certain toys which claim a special place in playtime for both you and your cat. And recently, a fun new kind of cat toy has both cat parents and their felines flipping! You’ve probably already seen the flopping fish toy and, chances are, you’ve already laughed at a video showing how much a cat enjoys that motorized flappy body thanks to cat parents with social media accounts! @probablepanda/ Instagram So Many Fish Choices in the Sea These flopping fish cat toys have mesmerized felines worldwide with their catnip scent and battery-operated motor. All that flapping and flipping drives cats wild. And with a whole school of realistic fish...

As I’m writing this, I’m sitting on half a chair because one of my cats is comfy in the bigger portion of it. How could I dare cause her any discomfort? I’m a spoiler and the idea of doing anything to make my cats uncomfortable tears at my heart in awful ways. As a cat parent, you understand this too. So, you also get how torn up I was when I learned I’d have to give my tabby soul mate two injections a day for the rest of his life. It was gut-wrenching to learn even though I knew it was coming. Drinking So Much Water After kicking an upper respiratory infection as a young kitten, Frodo was one of the healthiest cats you’d ever meet. He got to be a chubby boy who loved his kibble way too much, but otherwise, we was a finely-tuned feline machine who stayed at my side through the hardest moments of my adult life. In the year my boy turned 12, I knew Frodo had a problem of some sort. He would sit with his chin propped on the water dish at pretty regular intervals just so he could ...

Living with cats certainly presents us with the need to adapt in order to keep our precious kitties’ ever-shifting moods happy and content. Think about it, surely there’s some feline-oriented task you do regularly that has required some tweaking in order to make the job as easy and muss-free as possible. Because as we know, life with cats can be messy, but we don’t mind. Cat parents just roll with the cat fur and make the best of any situation. Thor -star Kat Dennings is just like us when it comes to figuring out how to make cat care a snap. Recently, Dennings has presented us with cat life hack gold. In an Instagram story with a perfect infomercial vibe, she demonstrated a genius way to save your long nails when opening cat food can lids. Courtesy of Allure via Kat Dennings “Good morning. Are you a person with long nails, but you also have a cat that eats food? Hi. I’m Kat Dennings. And this is a hack for you.” What cat parent hasn’t chipped or shredded a nail under one of t...