Search Results for: blog dog breath

Farmers’ Insurance Decides Dog is “Totaled”

This is a scenario right out of a pet lover’s worst nightmare. A woman’s dog was hit by a van. The dog survived the impact, but needed medical care. The insurance of the driver limited the amount of medical care that they would cover for the dog. They actually told the owner her dog would be considered “totaled” after a few visits to the vet. A woman in Colorado named Marcia Pinkstaff was walking her dog, Sasha, in a crosswalk. Sasha is a lab mix, and was nine years old. Tragedy struck when a van made a left turn and … Continue reading →

Why My Kid Won’t Be Getting a Dog for Christmas

Is it possible to be whined to death? If so, then I need to call my priest to administer Last Rites because I am dying a slow and agonizing death by persistently whiny six-year-old. My kid wants a dog for Christmas. Yes, like Linus and Lucy’s little brother Rerun, my daughter has major puppy envy. She has been lobbying for a Labrador for the past three years. To no avail. Given that she can’t even keep track of her winter gloves, I’m thinking we’ll hold off on having her take responsibility of walking, feeding and nurturing a living, breathing, potty … Continue reading →

First Swine Flu Case Confirmed in Dogs

A little over a month ago, the news came that family pets were coming down with swine flu (H1N1). Cats and ferrets were catching swine flu from sick owners. Now it looks like dogs are at risk for swine flu, too. A thirteen year old dog in New York was diagnosed with swine flu this month. He was showing signs of having difficulty breathing, so his owner brought him to the vet’s office. Because the owner had recently recovered from swine flu, the veterinarian decided to have the dog tested. Two separate labs — including Iowa State University, where first … Continue reading →

Dog Breed: Xoloitzcuintli

One of the most unique breeds of dogs I’ve ever seen is the Xoloitzcuintli. I wouldn’t even know how to pronounce the name… if it weren’t for catching an Animal Planet special on the breed. For the record: sho-lo-eats-quint-lee is how you pronounce it, though most folks just call them “Xolos” (sho-los). The breed is also known as the Mexican Hairless, which eliminates the pronunciation issue entirely. Like the poodle, the Xolo comes in three sizes: toy (between ten and fourteen inches at the shoulder), miniature (between fourteen and eighteen inches at the shoulder), and standard (between eighteen and twenty-three … Continue reading →

Foods You Might Not Think of Giving to Dogs

For a while, I was making my own dog food. Check out the basic recipe here if you’re curious. Moose and Lally LOVED it, but it was taking a lot of time, effort, and money to keep it up. Gradually we switched back to dog food, but from time to time I like to supplement their kibbles with some healthy human food. Some of my favorite add-ins are: White or brown rice or oatmeal cooked in chicken broth Shredded lean chicken or turkey Mashed vegetables like carrots, peas, and string beans Plain yogurt (especially when Moose has an upset tummy) … Continue reading →

Hot Days (and Hot Dogs) Ahead

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The temperature yesterday was in the 70s in the Portland, Oregon area. By tomorrow, forecasts are calling for temperatures in the 90s! It looks to me like summer is coming… and coming fast. Dealing with the heat is somewhat easier for people than for pets. After all, we have thumbs for turning on the air conditioning… or the option of escaping to a cool, dark movie theater when the sun is too much. Some dogs do love the sun and heat, though. My brother’s American Staffordshire Terrier Lily Biscuits just loves sunshine. She’ll sprawl out on the warm concrete sidewalk … Continue reading →

More Viral Animal Emails: Breathtaking

My inbox benefited from the addition of a few more of what I call “viral animal emails” that have caught my attention again. (The others I’ve written about are listed below under “Related Articles.”) These took my breath away. It’s amazing what people sometimes capture with cameras. The Bear on Rainbow Bridge – September 2007 When I first saw this one and read the description of the bear on Rainbow Bridge the first thing that came to my mind was the Rainbow Bridge often referred to when pets pass. It wasn’t the same bridge. This one had a description with … Continue reading →

Do Dogs Catch Colds?

Up until the last week or so, I could say that I’ve never really heard a dog cough before. But in the last few days, Lally’s been making a weird noise that is somewhere between a human cough and the sound she makes before she barfs. Aside from the cough, she seems fine… so it got me wondering: do dogs catch colds? Colds — like humans have — aren’t transmittable from humans to pets. So what could be causing Lally’s cough? Kennel cough comes with a high, dry cough — the dog seems to feel fine otherwise. In most adult … Continue reading →

The Pets Blog Week in Review for Sep 24-30

Happy first day of October! Does that make you think the same thing I’m thinking? “When the heck did that happen? Where’s the year going? It’ll be Christmas before I know it!” Well, I don’t know where the year is going, and, yes, Christmas will be here before we know it. However, before we get too far ahead of ourselves, let’s pause. Catch our breath. Slow down. There, that’s better. Now, in case time was moving so fast that you missed anything Aimee or myself happened to write about last week in the Pets Blog, here’s your chance to catch … Continue reading →

Dead Dog Walking

Today I failed as an animal lover and as an advocate of rescuing animals. I let a stray continue being a stray. I did stop my car so the dog could cross the busy street. I was thankful I had caught it out of the corner of my eye in time so I could stop. I was thankful that the person in the car behind me had enough time to slam on their brakes and not hit me. I marveled that the dog had made it across Nolensville Road at all. It’s a six lane road with a turning lane … Continue reading →